


Co-Conspirators

by FlightsOfFandom



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: Gender-Neutral Pronouns, Other, Series
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-07
Updated: 2021-01-21
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:07:40
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 38,337
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24582049
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FlightsOfFandom/pseuds/FlightsOfFandom
Summary: Getting your career at the BAU started gets interesting when you realize you're attracted to your boss.
Relationships: Aaron Hotchner & Reader, Aaron Hotchner/Reader
Comments: 7
Kudos: 81





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Left completely gender-neutral. ~~I had been interested in watching Criminal Minds for a long time, but a friend of mine finally got me to start it. Suffice to say my damn ass completely fell for Hotch. Was there other things I was planning on writing… Yes… but I couldn't help myself. Hopefully, now my obsession will chill out enough I can work on other projects for a bit.~~

You had initially gone to college for something completely different. Or at least you planned on using your degree for something else. One of your classes had Jason Gideon come in as a guest speaker, which sparked an epiphany. So you picked up some extra classes and buckled down, reading as many books as you could on the subject, David Rossi’s books were among the ones you read. Whatever college social life you may have had was put on the back burner, so you could pour all your energy into learning. It took a lot of hard work, but you managed to do it. You wanted to help people. This seemed like one of the best ways you could do that. When you were ready, you pushed ahead and got an interview with the Behavioural Analysis Unit at Quantico.  
You had been beyond nervous. For the past few years, you had been training for this moment. So you steeled yourself before going into the FBI building. You made sure to wear something very professional, wanting to make an excellent first impression. Walking into the building was easy enough. When you got into the BAU area, you saw some of the other employees there. They were already watching you. It was easy to tell that they knew you were there for the job opening. While you walked up the stairs, you tried to absorb all the information around you. You reached the office and knocked on a door that read 'S.S.A. Aaron Hotchner', the man who would be interviewing you. You heard a voice call you in. You were thrown off when you entered Hotchner's office. He was older than you, but even with that scowl sculpted into his face, you immediately found him attractive. So that caused you to begin your interview precariously. You knew he was a profiler, so you did your best to bury your attraction to him. Agent Hotchner was your boss. You were going to handle this professionally. You closed the door behind you, "Nice to meet you, Agent Hotchner." You introduce yourself as you take a few steps closer before stopping a respectable distance from him. Hotchner motions to the chair on the other side of his desk, "Sit. Despite what the other profilers might say, I don't bite." You chuckle, moving to sit in the chair. Hotchner moved some papers around on his overflowing desk, “Hotch is fine.” He looked over what seemed to be your personal file. You weren't sure what to expect before you came here. There were rumors about the team and gossip sure. Agent Hotchner was supposed to be intimidating and mean. While he gave off those vibes at first glance, that wasn’t the feeling you got from Hotch when you took a second to read him. Hotch looked up at you from your file, “Your look qualified for the job, but you’re young. What makes you better for this job than other applicants with more experience.” You hum, quickly thinking to yourself. You make sure to thoroughly look around the room, trying to get every detail. You look back at your interviewer, “There are no other applicants.” You said with a very matter the fact tone. Hotch leans back in his chair, a ghost of a smirk on his face. “What makes you say that?” You sit up enough to get another look at the files on his desk, “All these files are paperwork for cases, the dates, and how they are labeled. Applications aren’t labeled like that.” Hotch narrows his eyes at you, signaling for you to continue. You smile, “You don’t have any other applications on your desk. Which means either I’m your last applicant or there were no others. ” You glance down at your watch, “Judging by the time of day, the stacks of paperwork on your desk, and the bags under your eyes, you don’t have a lot of time for interviews. This is why you’re doing this on your lunch break, and I don’t think you’ve actually eaten lunch yet. I imagine you would have scheduled all your interviews in one day to get it taken care of quickly. Limited time, limited people you are willing to bring in and try to fit into your already busy schedule. I'm guessing that I am the only applicant.” You pause and shrug, “I suppose I could also be the only application you deemed had enough potential.” Hotch leaned forward again, closing your file, “Can you start tomorrow?”  
You curiously peek at the papers on his desk. Interestingly trying to see if you missed anything as you respond, “I can start right now if you need me too…” You pause for a second, before looking back up at Hotch, “Was I right?” Hotch tucks your file away, “Yes.” You perk up. You had done exercises in classes and during training, but you always found them too easy. So being able to test your skills on something more challenging and being right was exciting, “Which one I am then? Only applicant?” You assumed you were the only one. Figuring if someone with more experience had applied, they would have easily won out over you. Hotch shakes his head, “The only file I saw with enough potential to bring in was yours.” You slowly stand up, making a curious noise. “Thank you, then.” You reach out your hand. Hotch raises his eyebrows and shakes your hand, “Don’t thank me yet, You'll still have to prove yourself in the field.”  
That was how you got your job with the BAU. To start out, Hotch partnered you and him together a lot, you were assuming it was a probationary situation. You did some cases with other people while you were learning. After you had been at the job long enough to handle yourself, you were still partnered with Hotch most of the time. Part of you chalked it up to the fact that you could handle Hotch’s grumpy and bully-like behavior. Quickly the whole team became your family. You spent most of your time at work, which meant you spent all your time with the team. You enjoyed hanging out with everyone on the team.  
Emily would help you learn new languages if there was time. You found it oddly soothing listening to Reid talk about whatever he was excited about at the moment, plus you usually learned something. Rossi shared a love for classic art, the two of you also shared a love of snarky banter. You and Penelope shared anything nerdy with each other, whether it was movies, shows, or comics. Derek would discuss books with you, and he would introduce you to new music. You were always happy to look at pictures of Henry while talking about family life with JJ. You and Hotch were workaholics together. Hotch got onto you about it a few times, but you always turned it back on him. It was hard to explain, you and Hotch kind of just gravitated to each other. There was always a calm mutual understanding between the two of you. Working so closely with Hotch didn't exactly help with your attraction to him. You were a professional. So you ignored it for the most part. You had resigned yourself to the fact that Hotch wasn't interested in you. Even if he was interested, he was such a stickler for rules that it wouldn’t matter.  
You had been good at remaining professional for a few years. However, you slipped up one night when you and the team went out to celebrate. A case had gone really well, and you all knew you deserved a break. Emily and Derek were the first two to get the idea rolling. Soon everyone was ready and willing to go, except Hotch. Since you both worked way too much when the team went out, it was usually down to either you or Hotch to be what Penelope lovingly referred to as the ‘designated buzzkill’. You agreed to go but kept wondering if you should invite Hotch. Reid quickly caught onto how you were glancing up towards Hotch’s office, “Shouldn’t we invite Hotch?” Everyone except you and Reid made a face. It was a collective look of ‘We could try, but he’ll just say no.’ Their skeptical looks sealed it for you. You moved away from your desk and to the stairs, “I’ll ask him.” Penelope let out an excited squeak, practically bouncing as she spoke, “You’re the only one of us who can speak fluent ‘Hotchner’. You can do it, sugar.” You chuckled and rolled your eyes as you walked up the stairs. You knocked on Hotch’s office door but didn’t even wait for a response before going right in. You and the team had only been back for maybe 30 minutes, and Hotch had already buried himself in paperwork. You walk over and sit in the chair in front of his desk. Hotch doesn’t even look up as he addresses you, “Yes?” You shift about in the chair using the sweetest voice you could muster, “We have all been talking…” Hotch looks up, cutting you off “A night out? I have paperwork.” Hotch had his scowl on, but it no longer affected you unless he was mad at you personally. You grin at him, “It will be fun.” Hotch just stared at you, waiting. You sighed and rolled your eyes quickly, dropping being overly nice, “Why do you make me do this?” Hotch leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. A smirk threatens to slide onto his face, Hotch still just stares at you. You glare at him, “Fine, you asked for it.” Hotch just waits, already knowing he pushed you to the point where you lose your verbal filter. While he had gotten onto you before for your lack of filter on cases, you think he enjoyed it when you spoke candidly in more casual situations. You point to his desk, “When is the last time you went somewhere that wasn't this building, the plane, or a company car?” Hotch goes to protest. This time you cut him off, “This stack of paperwork has been like this since you hired me... What two years ago now? You always do all your work. Go above and beyond. The files have changed, but the stack remains the same size. It can wait twelve more hours. At which point, you’ll realize trying to sleep is pointless. You'll come into work early anyway.” Hotch makes a face, doing what he does best and avoids the main parts of your argument, “It’s been two years and six months.” You open your mouth, ready to argue again, but are temporally confused. “What?” Hotch moves some papers around, “It’s been two years and six months since I hired you.” You gave him another confused look, “You remember how long it has been?” Hotch once again dodges the main issue. “Also, I’d like to point out that you also haven’t been anywhere other than here or on a case in a while, either.” You scoff, “I totally have…” Hotch rolls his eyes, “Sleeping in your car in the company parking lot doesn’t count.” You grumble and lean back in the chair. You decide to do what Hotch does and just avoid that statement, “What if I promised you I would help you with the paperwork after the teams’ little night out?” You could tell you were starting to win when Hotch sat up in his chair. Hotch motioned to the paperwork on his desk, “This is important.” You stand up and put your hands on his desk, raising your voice in a nonaggressive manner, “Mental health is important too.” You glare down at Hotch, “And I swear to god if I have to drag Reid in here and make you listen to the statistics about mental wellbeing and overworking yourself, I will be so pissed.” You get a bit more dramatic with your voice, “Aaron Hotchner, I already got that lecture from him the other day. If I have to listen to it again just to get you to go to the bar with us, I will.” Hotch puts his hands up in defeat before pushing himself away from his desk, “Please don’t subject me to that.” Hotch stands up, and you start grinning, “Thank you for caving.” You walk to the office door, waiting. When you looked through the window, the whole team automatically looked away. Trying to hide the fact they had been watching. You chuckle, shaking your head at how bad they were at ‘acting casual’. You walk down the stairs, “Stop pretending you weren't paying attention. Bossman agreed to join us.” Derek claps you on the back, “The boss whisperer has triumphed for us once more.” You roll your eyes, going over to your desk. “Why do you all act like Hotch speaks a completely different language?” JJ giggles, commenting, “Asks the only person who understands him half the time.” Hotch walks down the stairs from his office, “Let’s keep it that way. If the rest of you catch on, then I’m doomed.” You laugh. Now that you all were ready, it was time to go. The team went back to their excited chattering as you left the building as a group.  
At the bar, the team stayed together for the first few drinks. After that, though, everyone slowly splintered off on their own. You flitted from each small group for a while until like always, you ended up sitting next to Hotch. Hotch was nursing a drink while watching the rest of the team have fun. You ordered another drink. After a few moments of comfortable silence, you spoke up, “We are supposed to be having fun.” Hotch chuckles, “Is sitting over here with your boss your definition of fun?” You smile leaning back against the counter to relax, “Actually yes.” You take a large drink from your glass, turning to look at Hotch, “But you knew that already.” Hotch turns to face you, “I do. It’s the ‘why’ I could never figure out.” You laugh, playing with the small amount of alcohol in your glass, “You’re a profiler, you tell me.” Hotch glared at you before taking another drink. You couldn’t help the cocky look that fell onto your face. Hotch looks back out at the mixture of people floating around the room, “Really want to go down this road?” You scoff, getting another drink, “Hit me with your best shot Hotch.”  
Hotch motions to all the people mingling in the bar, “You’re as bad of a workaholic like I am. So you don’t have a personal life.” You make a fake offended noise, but let Hotch continue. “You find flaws in anyone who would be considered a potential romantic interest before even speaking to them. Convincing yourself, there is no use in trying.” Hotch glances back over to you, “It's why you like hanging out with me that I don't understand.” You cock your head, “I’ll answer that after I correct you on a few points.” Hotch crosses his arms, leaning back, waiting. You chuckle, “You guys are my personal life, my family. Your right about the romantic interest part, though... Hard to stay interested in someone when you can profile them in one glance...” You pause before knocking back your drink, “I like grouchy, serious people. Lots of nice silence that isn’t awkward gives me time to think. No bullshit, you’ll tell me if I did something wrong or whatever else. Plus, My mouth normally gets me in trouble but not around you. I can be a sarcastic asshole or brutally honest.” Hotch makes a noise, “Your mouth is a huge problem.” You nervously rub the back of your neck and chuckle, “I mean… I’ve at least gotten better when we are on the job.” Hotch smirks, “You have.” He pauses for a second, “What else? You’re leaving something out.” This is the point where you would usually come up with a convincing lie to hide the fact you had feelings for Hotch. You were a few drinks in. You could handle your liquor, so you weren’t drunk per se, but you had drunk enough that you didn’t really think about the need to lie. You smile to yourself as you let out a small hum, “Because… seeing a sullen person smile… and I don't mean smirking… a genuine smile... It’s a special thing to be able to see that.” You realized that was the first time you had said something like that or even admitted it to yourself. You let out a curious hum. Turning back around in your seat, facing the counter. When Hotch turned around, that’s when you notice the two of you were shoulder to shoulder now. You glanced over at Hotch. He had a real smile on his face. It made you happy seeing him like that. You forgot where you were and that there were rules against fraternization at work. Hotch was so close to you, so when your eyes met his, all logic left your body. You closed your eyes before leaning in and kissed Hotch.  
Hotch even kissed you back. It felt so right that you got caught up in it. Both of you kept kissing each other. That was until your brain quickly started to catch up to what you were doing. It only took a split second for your bliss to come crashing down. You had just kissed your very handsome, regulations focused boss. At a party with your coworker’s nonetheless. When you realized that you just put both your and Hotch’s job on the line, you pulled away. Hotch looked confused. You couldn’t tell if it was because you kissed him or because you stopped kissing him. Not sure what else to do, you decided to bolt. Digging cash out of your pocket before putting it on the counter to pay for your drinks. You avoid looking at Hotch, “I… I have to go.” You said it so fast it sounded more like one word then a sentence. You didn’t wait for a response. Booking it out of the bar and straight to a taxi to take you home. You were mad at yourself. You managed to stay professional for over two years. Then it only took one night out for you to ruin that. Though deep down, you knew the real reason you were so upset was that kissing Hotch had felt perfect, but there were multiple rules against things like this. You didn’t want to forget about that moment but thought it might be easier if either you or Hotch just forgot about it by the time morning rolled around. As soon as you went home, you went straight to bed, hoping to sleep it off.  
When you woke up a few hours later, you hadn’t forgotten. It was actually the first thing you thought about. Making you realize that maybe it was more than a crush you had on Hotch. You pushed the thought back in your mind and decided to just go into work. Knowing you couldn’t go back to sleep even if you wanted to. Even though you were walking into work a few hours before anyone else should be there, you weren’t surprised when you saw Hotch’s car already here. You had your fingers crossed that he had forgotten about last night, and you never had to think about this ever again. When you walked into the bullpen, you got your answer. Usually, when you came in early for whatever reason, especially helping him with paperwork, you would sit in Hotch’s office while you both worked quietly. However, today Hotch’s office door was closed. The paperwork you had promised to help him with was sitting on your desk. Last night may have just fucked up your usual routine and, even worse, a friendship. You sighed to yourself and just sat down at your desk and worked.  
Over the next few months, it only got worse. Where you and Hotch typically gravitated to each other, now you were both constantly apart. He no longer paired you two together on cases, never sat next to each other on the plane. The worst part was probably the early and late hours both you and Hotch always worked. You both were the only two in this part of the building at those times, and still, there was no real communication between the two of you. Just basic, stiff sentences. Neither you or Hotch talked outside of team meetings and cases. It was a shock to your system considering how close you two had been before that night at the bar. But you felt you had no one to blame but yourself. You also felt lucky you still had your job considering Hotch could have fired you.  
You reached your breaking point one random morning after a few months of this. It just hit you how much you actually needed to know what was going on. You didn’t even care what the answer was, you just wanted to know. So while you and Hotch were still the only two at work, you barged into his office. Before you could even get the door closed, Hotch spoke up, “Yes?” You closed the door and crossed your arms, “If you’re pissed at me, could you go ahead and just say so?” You shouted that louder than you meant to. Hotch furrowed his brow and looked right up at you. You didn’t give him a chance to say anything just yet, “I was really drunk, okay? So don’t think anything of… of…” You tried to think of what to call it because calling it a kiss reminded you how much you enjoyed it. You subconsciously touched your fingers to your lips. As soon as you noticed, you dropped your hand and continued, “that situation… It meant nothing.” You didn’t even believe yourself and knew that Hotch saw right through it too. As an effort to hide more of your feelings, you let out a loud, annoyed huff before standing there and staring at Hotch. Hotch narrowed his eyes at you, testing you. “Then why are you yelling at me about it?” You scoffed a few times before you started walking around. You stayed mindful enough that it didn’t look too much like pacing. You calmed your voice, “Because I feel like I’m in the dog house because of it. You stopped partnering with me, practically stopped talking to me altogether.” You sigh, “I understand you could have fired me for that drunken mistake. You didn’t, and I appreciate it. But if you really hate working with me that much now, just tell me.” Hotch leaned back in his chair and watched you. There was some emotion in his eyes you couldn’t pinpoint at the moment. It almost looked like he was amused as he spoke, “You weren't that drunk.” Hotch moves some papers around on his desk, “You know, normally anyone else on the team would think being partnered with me constantly would be the punishment. Not the other way around.” You think for a moment watching Hotch, “I don’t feel that way about it.” Hotch nodded, “I know.” He looked a bit too amused for your liking. So you started speaking louder again, "Look, I think it's a fairly simple question. Do you or don't you want me to work with you?" You paused, but your nerves got the better of you. You let out a loud sigh before adding mostly to yourself, “I knew my mouth would get me in trouble one day… this just isn’t the kind of trouble I thought it would be.” Hotch chuckles at your comment, “I’m not mad at you.” You scrunch up your face, confused. Hotch’s voice turns more serious as he finishes, “I do want to work with you, but I separated us because you’re a distraction.” You glare at Hotch, “What the fuck do you mean a distraction?” At this point, you may not have been thinking too clearly because you automatically took offense. You fully turned to face Hotch, your body language and tone reflecting your irritation, “We have worked with each other for over two years. Suddenly I’m a ‘distraction’?” Hotch stood up, crossing his arms and staring you down. You dug your heels in, “Am I really that bad at my job that I’m affecting your or the team’s work?” Hotch started walking over to you, “Will you stop and listen to me for a second?” Hotch had raised his voice just enough to get your attention. It was stern with no real anger behind it. You let out an exasperated huff but stayed quiet. Hotch stopped a few feet in front of you. Even a few feet away, Hotch seemed to tower over you. The serious look that was normally stamped on his face was softer than normal, “You’re a distraction because I have feelings for you as well.”  
You falter for a second, “What?” Hotch lets a smile slide onto his face, “You heard me.” You take a minute to think it over, “Then why didn’t you say anything before.” Hotch shrugs, “You’re the one who ran, and I wanted to cover all my bases.” You glare at him, wondering if this was a joke. Hotch wasn’t one for jokes, so it was unlikely, but part of your brain wouldn’t accept he was telling the truth. So naturally, you challenge him, “Since when?” Hotch raises his eyebrows at you, “Does it matter?” You give him a firm nod. Hotch looks off to the side, “Longer than I would care to admit…” Hotch knew you wouldn’t be satisfied with that answer, so after a pause, he looked back at you with a smirk on his face, “The first time you yelled at me. I was able to see how passionate you were. It started then.” You start laughing, “Really? You also wrote me up for that.” Hotch nods, “It was still against regulations, so, Yes.” Hotch pauses, “What about you?” This time the laugh that leaves you is a nervous one, “Since my interview.” You rub the back of your neck, “Tall, Dark, and Handsome. What else can I say?” Hotch makes a curious noise, “I just read that as regular nerves, not attraction.” Hotch smirks at you, “If I had known you had such poor taste, I wouldn’t have hired you.” You scoff and roll your eyes, “Shut up.” You look out the window down into the bullpen below, “If ‘poor taste’ is liking a man who is constantly pushing himself to do the right thing and can be an ass at times because of that. Then sure, I have ‘poor taste’.” Hotch scuffs, “The word I think you meant to use was jaded.” You smile, looking back over at Hotch, “Nope.” You say it very matter of factly, letting the ‘p’ pop as you speak. You tilt your head and give Hotch a cocky grin, “So you like being yelled at?” Hotch rolls his eyes, “Only when you're the one yelling. If I didn’t, I would have fired you by now.” You chuckle but then have a serious thought, “How much trouble are we in?” Hotch sighs, “None… at the moment, but if Strauss catches wind of this…” It was finally time for other people to start showing up for work, just some background workers. Drawing both you and Hotch’s attention to the window watching over the bullpen. You think, “So we don’t let Strauss catch wind of this.” You tap your foot on the ground. “Everyone on the team hates the bitch, but…” Hotch nods, finishing your thought for you, “But… If we keep it a secret from the team, it will at least buy us time.” Hotch glances at you for a second before looking back out the window, “What do you suggest?” You tilt your head from side to side as you think, “We build upon what the team already knows about… We have clearly distanced ourselves from each other. The team has noticed… So we make it seem like we are actually mad at each other.” Hotch nods, agreeing with you so far, “An event about two months ago that would cause this ‘rift’...” Hotch scowls while thinking about it. You laugh, “It is us we are talking about. There are too many things to choose from. The team knows you can be a hard ass, and they know I have a smart-ass mouth.” Hotch chuckles, looking over at you. Your eyes meet for a second, and you can’t help but smirk. “Are you willing to get this elaborate with lying to our friends and colleges?” You were joking at first, but you had a serious thought. Your tone quickly changed, “In all seriousness… I don’t want to put your job on the line… Don’t get me wrong I want this, but not so badly that I’m willing to risk your career without both of us being on the same page.” You look over at Hotch. He furrows his brow, “It’s not just my job. It’s yours too.” You let out a melancholy chuckle, “Im young, I haven't built up my whole career yet. I could find somewhere else to work.” Hotch shakes his head, “You’d be miserable.” You shrug and smile, “ ‘Miserable’ is a relative term.” Hotch’s frown sets in deeper on his face, clearly he was starting to rethink things. So you quickly spoke up, “I just want to make sure we are on the same page. I’m more than willing, but if you want to back out before we break any rules, I want to give you that chance.” Hotch stares at you for a very long moment, “What event are we going to use from two months ago?” You smile softly, relieved that he wanted to proceed with things. You thought, “I cursed out that cop which you got onto me for even though the guy totally deserved it.” Hotch smirks, “He did deserve it but still inappropriate.” You chuckle and nod, “We could use that… act like someone in the department complained about it more and is riding your ass about it. Could combine it with several other things for more drama or leave it at that.” Hotch nods, “We can work with that.” You move away from the interior window, “When everyone gets in, we fake an argument and let the team see it.” Hotch moves back over to his desk, “They will see it and shouldn’t ask too many questions about it.” You sit in the chair in front of his desk, “From partners to partners in crime.” Hotch glares at you and rolls his eyes, “Crime makes it sound much worse than it is.” You chuckle, “Fine. Why don’t we plan something fun then? Maybe it will make you less grumpy.” Hotch sits down, crossing his arms, “Something fun?” You roll your eyes, “A date. I mean, we literally put all this effort into the lie to cover up something that hasn’t even really happened yet.” Hotch smiles, “Tomorrow night, we are supposed to have it off.” You give him a smug grin, “It’s official, then Aaron, we're co-conspirators.” With a sigh, Hotch leans back in his chair. As he rubs his temples, you can see a large smile on his face.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After agreeing to start a secret relationship with Aaron. Its time to convince your co-workers so you can make it through the workday and wait for your upcoming date with Aaron.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Left completely gender-neutral. So here is the second part. ~~No creative title at this point in time cause I stayed up till 5 am to edit and post this. If I come up with one later, I might change it.~~ Hopefully, everyone likes it as much as the first part. I’m actually thinking about continuing this and turning it into a more long term project. ~~No lie if I do keep this, smut will probably get written into this, ope.~~

You sat at Hotch’s desk and helped out with paperwork, keeping an eye on your co-workers as they came in. When the last person showed up, you wrapped up the work in front of you. You stood up and smiled at Hotch, “Our audience is waiting, ready?” Hotch looks up and over to the window, “Everyone’s here?” You nod, “Mhmm, I am going to slam your door for a bit of drama.” Hotch chuckles, “If you break my door, I will actually have to write you up." You roll your eyes and nod, “I know government property and all that blah blah.”  
Working with profilers means they could pick up on anything and catch you guys lying. Luckily since both you and Hotch were also profilers, you knew exactly what signs and body language to mimic to make it seem real. You stiffen up and cross your arms over your chest in a defensive fashion. Hotch watches you, stiffening up himself, “We should make at least part of the argument loud enough for Rossi to hear through the wall” You nod, getting ready to start this fake fight. Some of the team could read lips, so you had to actually say the right things to pull this off. You take a deep breath before starting, “You know that cop deserved what I said to him.” Hotch easily follows your lead, “It doesn’t matter if he deserved it. It's inappropriate behavior out in the field.” You and Hotch working together had built up a good flow with situations like this. There has been more than one occasion when you had to play off each other to get information from an unsub. You tapped your foot to appear antsy, “You already yelled at me for this, why are we bringing this back up?” Hotch raises his voice, “Their police department has been bringing it back up for the last few months. They are talking about disciplinary action.” Hotch crosses his arms and glares at you, “You represent the FBI when you’re out in the field. You need to remember that.” You lean forward defensively, “Does the FBI want to just let people walk all over them?” Hotch stares at you, “It is our job to build bridges with departments. Not burn them.” You roll your eyes and start distancing yourself from him, “Yes… Yes… we have to bend over backward to keep everyone happy, even the assholes.” You reach for the door. You know Hotch will say something as soon as you open the door to get the message across to the team. You open the door, and right on queue, Hotch shouts at you, “Watch your mouth, and that's an order.” You huff loudly and walk out of his office. You make sure to slam the door on the way out, just enough to sell it. As you trot down the stairs, it takes all your willpower not to smile. It was actually kind of fun to fake argue. You see the team starting to look around, trying to figure out what is going on. So for a little flair, you hiss as you pass the group, “Bite me, Hotch.” You practically fall back into your chair and start angrily moving papers around. When you see Rossi looking at you while walking to Hotch’s office, you knew it was working. When Reid poked his head up from his desk and started questioning, “What happened?” Reid looked a bit worried. Emily walked past him, chuckling, “Just because your parents are fighting doesn't mean they love you any less.” Emily tussles Reid’s hair as she passes. You glare at Emily when she looks over at you. Emily shrugs and smirks in response. Reid quickly moves away from Emily’s hand, looking annoyed, “Hey, that's not what I’m worried about.” After that, work continued on, with most of the team not really saying anything directionally to you. You did get questioned by both Penelope and Rossi.  
Penelope got you when you went into her zone to get some information you needed to continue working. You walked into her room, “Can I get some extra info from you pretty please?” Penelope completely turned around to look at you, “When you ask that nicely, of course… but…” Garcia plays with a fuzzy pen in her hands, “I wanna trade.” You raise your eyebrows, sitting in the extra chair in her office, “I don't have any new comics to show you, so I’m not sure…” You let your sentence trail off. Penelope grabs a piece of bright pink paper with words written in glitter ink, “Well, I have some for you…” You take the paper from her, putting it into your pocket. Penelope waves her hands, “But that's not what I meant.” You lean back in the office chair, narrowing your eyes at the brightly colored woman in front of you, “Okay?” Penelope taps the pen on the arm of her chair, “A sweet chocolate little hunky bird told me that you and Hotch had a big fight this morning.” You make sure to let out an annoyed huff, “Derek…” Penelope throws her hands up in surrender, “I didn't name names… I’m no snitch.” You put your elbow on the arm of the chair, resting your chin on your hand, “So what's the trade?” Garcia smiles, leaning forward, “Dirt for dirt.” You sigh loudly, “Fine, ask away.” Penelope scoots her chair closer to you, “I heard you got mad enough you slammed Hotch’s office door. Are you guys really that mad at each other? I mean, you two are the dream team.” Penelope pauses and wiggles her eyebrows at you, “Well, Derek and I are the dream team, so you and Hotch would be like the dream team... reloaded... or something.” Your act cracks a little, unable to fully keep it under wraps around Penelope. You chuckle but quickly regain yourself, “Maybe things will start going back to normal when he stops being an ass. My mouth probably doesn't help, but that's not going to change too drastically anytime soon.” You shrug it off. Penelope watches you. She starts giggling, “There's a reason I call you 'sugar' all the time.” You put your hand on your heart in mock offense, “I thought it was because of how sweet I am.” Garcia gives you a loving pat on the head, “That’s part of it. The other part is you don’t usually sugar coat things.” You smile, leaning forward in your chair, “I think I’ll just keep pretending it's because I’m a sweetheart.” Penelope smiles, turning around in her chair, “Of Course you will. So what did you need?” After you got the information from Garcia, you leave to go back to work.  
Later in the day, Rossi passed your desk. He puts his hand on your shoulder and talks quietly, “Why don’t you take a break? We can have some coffee in my office.” You look up and give Rossi a confused look. You could tell it was more of a request than an actual question. You stand up from your desk, “Sure…” The team tries to discreetly watch you and Rossi walking up to his office. Since almost everyone was watching, you make sure to stiffen up when you pass Hotch’s office to sell it. Rossi gestures for you to come into his office, closing the door behind you. Rossi walks over to his desk, “During one of my marriages me and my wife would shout at each other all the time. Over anything and everything.” You stay near the door, glaring at Rossi, “What does this have to do with me?” You cross your arms and smirk, “If this is a proposal of some kind Rossi, I’m flattered, but you're not my type.” You get an extra cocky tone to your voice. Rossi scoffs and chuckles, “I’m taking a strict ‘three strikes your out’ policy with marriages, no exceptions.” You shrug, “So, Why did you drag me in here with the false promises of coffee?” Rossi casually sits back, holding up his coffee cup, "Didn't lie about coffee, just none for you." You glare at Rossi, grumbling. Rossi continues, "You two only argue this much because there is tension, just like my ex-wife and me.” You narrow your eyes at Rossi, trying to figure out if he suspects anything. Rossi continues, “I personally think you’d be good together, but you’d have to make the first move. We all know Hotch can be a stick in the mud.” You shake your head, doing your best to convince Rossi. Rossi shrugs, “That's just my two cents, take it or leave it.” You laugh and get ready to leave, “I get it. You're the cool uncle who is totally fine with breaking the rules. Thanks, but you're projecting.” You left Rossi’s office. Crossing your fingers that Rossi bought it as you go back to work. If you and Hotch could just keep this up, everything would be fine.  
It was actually pretty easy to keep that up. It didn’t take much else to keep selling it with the two months of ignoring each other. The work for the day was mostly just paperwork. Which you were thankful for. Considering if you guys got a legitimate case, there would be a high chance that it would take the team out of town. Meaning you’d all have to give up your day off. This was the first time you had plans you were looking forward to in months. You and Hotch kept up the act throughout the day. Messaging each other every now and then when it was safe. When the workday was over, the team trickled out of the building. Until only you and Hotch were left. When you were sure the coast was clear, you grabbed your paperwork from the day and headed to Hotch’s office. You didn't even bother to knock. Hotch doesn't even look up from his papers, “The team better have bought it because Rossi came in here and questioned me for thirty minutes after our ‘fight’.” You put a guilty look on your face, “Sorry… Reid seems to have bought it, though.” You sit in your chair in front of Hotch’s desk, “If we got those two to buy it, we are pretty much set.” Hotch looks up at you, chuckling, “Rossi said we remind him of one of his old relationships.” You wrinkle your nose, “He said the same thing to me. I’m going to take that as a compliment even though the man has been divorced three times.” Hotch shakes his head, going back to work, “I’m choosing to look at it as a positive as well.” You hum softly, getting comfortable in your chair as you start working. The peaceful silence you two share falls over the room.  
After a few hours of quietly working away, you look at your watch, “Do you need to be getting home?” Hotch perks up and looks at the time, “Actually, yes.” Hotch looks down at the stack of papers he was wanting to get done. You smile, “Go, I can finish those up.” Hotch frowns, “I can…” You roll your eyes and interrupt him, “I got it.” Stubbornly you grab his stack of papers and pull them away from him. “Look, you finished your pile. You can go home.” Hotch glares at you, getting up from his desk. He stares you down, trying to gauge whether to argue or not. You smile at Hotch before going back to work. He decided against fighting you, “I’ll make it up to you tomorrow night.” Hotch starts grabbing his things. You watch him move about and laugh, “Looking forward to it.” Hotch goes to leave but then stops at the door, “Don’t stay too late.” You turn to watch him, smirking, “I won’t.” Hotch narrows his eyes at you and leaves the room. Right after he closes the door, he opens it again to add, “No sleeping in your car, either.” You roll your eyes but smile, “I've never done that before in my life.” Hotch stares you down, “I’ve caught you at least four times.” You sigh, shaking your head, “I promise I won't…” You tilt your head back and forth, “At least not tonight.” You grin at Hotch, causing him to shake his head. Hotch cracks a smile, “I’ll accept that answer for now. Goodnight.” As Hotch walks out the door, you call over your shoulder, “Goodnight.”  
You diligently work through the rest of the paperwork in front of you. It goes by at about its usual pace. The stack dwindles down to the last few files, and you can feel yourself getting tired. You rub your eyes, trying to regain focus. You hear your phone go off. You reach for your cell and put it up to your ear, already knowing who would be up late enough to call you. You hold your phone to your ear with your shoulder so you can keep working. You tease him, “Now... now, Aaron. We haven't even been on our first date, and you're already being clingy.” You hear Hotch chuckle on the other end, “I’m concerned.” You keep writing away, chuckling, “Lucky for you, I like clingy.” Hotch’s voice comes across softer than normal, “Very lucky indeed.” You hear Hotch sigh before speaking at a normal volume again, “I thought I told you not to stay late.” You laugh, finishing a file, “Define late? This is a pretty normal time for me still.” You move onto the next piece of work, “Isn't it hypocritical, though? I mean, you're saying it's late, but you called me. Which means you were still up.” Hotch chuckles again, “You caught me.” You softly hum as you continue working, “What’s keeping you up?” You can hear Hotch moving around as he talks, “I still feel bad for making you finish my work.” You laugh, shaking your head, “You could be Catholic with the amount of guilt you lug around. I offered.” You finish writing and then flip the page, “I’m almost done. Also, I remember someone promising to make it up to me tomorrow night.” Hotch laughs, “What did you have in mind?” You scoff sitting up in your chair, “You're a profiler, I think you can figure it out.” Hotch sighs but you can tell he is smiling, “It's been a long time since I planned a date. Really want to trust me with that?” You finish the last file, “We trust each other with our lives, I think I can trust you with a date.” You start putting files away. Hotch chuckles as he replies, “Fair point.” You smile grabbing your things and leaving the room, “I’m officially leaving work now. Does that make you feel better?” Hotch teases, “I’ll feel better when I know you're not sleeping in your car.” You scoff, trotting over to your desk, “Fine, you're asking for it.” Hotch laughs, “Oh no.” You start digging through your desk when you find what you're looking for.  
Pulling out a personal wireless earpiece. You sync it up to your phone before putting it on, “There. Hands-free. Now you get to listen to my boring drive all the way home.” It sounds like Hotch is washing dishes as he replies, “Perfect. Someone has to make sure you take care of yourself.” You roll your eyes, heading out of the building, “Yeah...yeah… I’m a mess… Tell me something I don't know.” Hotch takes your comment seriously and thinks for a second, “It’s mortifying… but…” You make a curious humming noise as you get into your car. Hotch sighs, “I have been thinking about that kiss for that past two months.” Hotch lets out a nervous chuckle, “You had me worried when you ran away afterward.” Your cheeks burn. Glad you were talking to him over the phone so he couldn't see you. You start your car, “Clearly, my fight or flight leans towards flight.” Hotch laughs, “I’ve seen you walk into multiple dangerous situations without a second thought.” You make sure to focus on driving even as you chuckle, “I’ll correct myself. My romantic fight or flight leans to the flight side. I wasn't sure if you were interested in me or not…” You pause, smirking to yourself, “If I had known, I would have ended up getting us caught that night.” Hotch lets out another laugh, “It's probably for the best then, I definitely wouldn't have stopped you.” You pull into your parking spot, teasing “How scandalous… you're my boss.” Hotch teases back, “Which means I can give you orders.” You get out of the car, using a suggestive voice as you respond, “And if you ask real nicely, I’d be willing to follow them outside of office hours.” Hotch takes a deep breath, “I...I’ll keep that in mind.” You chuckle, walking to your apartment door. “Your duality kinda makes you the total package.” You pull your keys out, unlocking your door. “I get a sullen badass and a sweet romantic all in one.” Hotch scoffs, “Ahh yes, attached with a laundry list of problems” You hum happily as you walk in the door, “I assure you I have my own problems. We can exchange lists later.” Hotch makes a noncommittal noise as he seems to be taking care of a few things around his apartment. You let the door close behind you, automatically kicking off your shoes. Upon hearing the door, Hotch talks again, “Your home safe then?” You smile, dropping most of your stuff on the ground, locking the door. “Yep, safe, and sound.” You switch from your hands-free device back to your cell phone. You punch your security alarm code before bringing your phone up to your ear, “Feel better now?” Hotch chuckles, “Much.” He lets out a long sigh, his voice getting more serious, “Thank you, I know it might seem overbearing…” You peel off your clothes. Leaving a trail behind you as you interrupt him with a laugh, “Aaron… we both know what overbearing looks like. This isn't even close.” You strip down to your underwear and sit on your bed. “We have a spooky job that makes us rightfully paranoid, especially when it involves people we care about. So...” You flop back onto your bed, “You have nothing to thank me for.” Hotch’s voice takes on a happier tone, “When you put it that way…” He pauses before adding, “Maybe, I’ll just use this as my way of making up for two months of silence.” You grin happily, “Ohh, does that mean I can expect more extended phone calls?” Hotch chuckles, “Yes, as much as you tolerate.” You sit up, smirking, “That sounds almost like a challenge Agent Hotchner.” Hotch puts on a fake serious voice, “If you didn't take it as a challenge, then I’d have to make it an order.” You chuckle, dramatically gasp, “Using your position for evil.” You take a teasing tone, “You might wanna be careful threatening me, though.” You sit back up and head to your dresser. Hotch laughs, “Yeah? And what are you gonna do about it?” You pull on pajamas, grinning, “I have a date with an FBI agent. He is the best, and I imagine he wouldn't take lightly to you bullying me.” You can hear the eye roll in Hotch’s voice, “I recall someone mentioning you like it when I’m a bully.” You huff, “Should have never told you, now you'll use it against me.” Hotch chuckles, “For as long as I can.” You lay on your bed and let out a content hum. Closing your eyes, you tried to remember the last time you talked on the phone for this long. Or when was the last time you enjoyed a phone call this much. It was odd. Even through the phone, you could feel the special silence you and Hotch shared. Hotch broke the silence first. His voice came out soft and sleepy, “I think we both need to get some rest. I have a hot date I want to impress.” You tiredly chuckled, “Good night, I’ll see you tomorrow.” Hotch replied, “Sleep well.” Both of you ended the call, and you quickly passed out.  
That night you got some of the best rest you had in a long time. After working for the BAU for two years and all the extra hours you put in, your body had gotten used to a particular schedule. To the point, you hadn't needed to set an alarm after your first six months with the Bureau. It wasn't unusual to sometimes get woken up by phone calls. It was almost always Hotch on the other end. So when you woke up to your phone ringing this morning, you instinctively grabbed it. You didn't even have to open your eyes to answer the call and bring it to your ear, “Please tell me you are not calling for a case.” What was utterly bizarre was how Hotch answered the phone. Hotch’s voice was happy, “Not calling for a case, just calling to talk to you.” He sounded wide awake. Making you curious as to what time it was but not curious enough to open your eyes. Hotch commented, “Did I wake you up?” You grumble, “You wake me up all the time, why do you sound surprised?” Hotch chuckles, “Because it's about three to four hours after you normally wake up.” Your eyes shoot open, “What? It’s 9 am?” Hotch sounded more than amused, “It’s closer to 10.” This time you shoot up out of bed. You mumbler mostly to yourself as you get up and out of bed, “What the fuck?” You didn't have any plans until your date later, but it was disorienting to wake up this late in the day. You could hear public background noise. Hotch sounded slightly out of breath as he spoke, “Clearly, I kept you up too late last night.” You scoff, sitting on your bed. “Don’t flatter yourself. If anything, I went to bed early last night.” You rub your eyes with your free hand, “I just slept a lot better than I normally do.” Hotch quickly gets a cocky tone, “I wonder why that is.” You chuckle and roll your eyes, changing subjects, “Why are you so peppy and tired, sounding at the same time?” Hotch chuckles, “I’m talking to you, and I just finished running.” You get up and head to your kitchen, “I bet that is quite the view.” You hear Hotch get into his car as he talks, “You're always welcome to join me.” You start making coffee, “I might take you up on that, but I don't want you getting sick of me.” Hotch chuckles, “After almost three years working together, I don’t think that could happen.” You smile to yourself, humming “That's very optimistic, I like it.” Hotch lets out a happy sigh, “I think I figured out our date tonight.” You chuckle, “Ohh… do tell.” Hotch teases, “The only thing I’m going to tell you is its dinner, and I would recommend dressing nicely.” You pour yourself some coffee, “Are we talking business, club, or just hot date nice?” Hotch laughs, “I’m pretty sure you don't even like clubs. I’m sure you'll know what to wear.” You grin and chuckle, “Are we meeting there?” Hotch playfully criticizes you, “Nice try. I’ll pick you up at 6 tonight.” You start drinking coffee, “I’m looking forward to it.” There is a short pause before Hotch lets out a sigh, “As much as I would like to talk as much as we did last night…” You smile to yourself, finishing for him, “ But you have important adult stuff to go do.” Hotch responds with a melancholy sigh, “Unfortunately, yes.” You play around with your coffee cup, “Well, you're free to call me anytime today… as long as it's not for a case.” Hotch chuckles, “I wouldn't dream of it.” You smile, “Now go be responsible, I’ll see you tonight.” You can once again hear the smile in Hotch’s voice, “See you then.” The call ends, and a large smile stays on your face.  
You make yourself some food, ready to actually have a lazy day for once in your life. You may not have had a lot of free time typically. Using these few hours to do whatever you could to unwind. You had never been great at sitting around and relaxing, but today you were able to slide into it easily. You were eager for 6 to roll around. Putting you in a weird state of time, both moving too slowly and too quickly all at once. When it was finally 4, you started getting ready. Two hours early may have seemed extreme, but Hotch was good at staying punctual. So you just assumed he would be anywhere from thirty minutes to an hour early. Scanning through your clothes, you picked out the perfect outfit. Something closer to a ‘hot date’ look without being over the top. You finished getting ready for the date and sat on your couch. When your phone rang, you immediately picked it up.  
Hotch was on the other end, already apologetic, “I know I said 6. I’m running a little late.” You chuckle, getting up off the couch, “How about I come to you then?” You grab your keys and stand by your door. You hear Jack murmuring in the background as Hotch talks, “I… Actually, that's a good idea.” You smile, “I’ll be there soon, then.” Hotch replies with a quick but sincere, “Thank you.” Ending the call. You chuckle and shake your head as you make your way to the car. You and Hotch didn't live too far away from each other. So it doesn't take long for you to drive to Hotch’s apartment. When you got to his place, you gave the door a rhythmic knock.  
Hotch answered the door. He was in a suit, nicer looking than the ones he wears to work. The thing was that his hair was a bit of a mess, with the fabric of a bow tie laying undone around his neck. As soon as he saw you, Aaron’s face lit up, “Hey… Sorry, come in.” You couldn't help the giant smile that slipped onto your face. You weren't sure if you had ever seen him this disheveled in a causal situation. It was beyond adorable to see him like this. Aaron stepped back, opening the door fully for you. You walk in slowly, looking around, “Everything okay?” Aaron chuckles, closing the door behind you, “Jessica, Jack’s aunt is just running behind. So that threw me off.” As if right on queue, Jack peeks out and gives you a shy wave. You had met Jack quite a few times over the years. Jack was a sweet kid, and luckily he seemed to like you. You smile and crotch down, “Hey there, Jack.” Jack runs over, “Can you play with me before you and daddy leave?” Aaron goes to say something, but you interrupt him. You grin happily, “Of course, Lil’ man. Why don't you go find something for us to play with, and I’ll be there soon?” Jack smiles and runs back to his room, “Yay.”  
You stand up and look back at Aaron. Aaron spoke to you with a sweet look on his face, “You don’t have…” You interrupt him again, “Did you choose a place that needs a reservation?” Aaron furrows his brow, looking more like he does at work, “Why?” You roll your eyes and glare at him, “Did you?” Aaron watches you, not sure what is going on, “No, I didn't.” You smile, “Why don’t you call Jessica and tell her not to worry about coming over.” Aaron crosses his arms, scanning your face, “Someone has to be here to watch Jack.” You fake gasp, “What is that a law or something, I’ve never heard of it before.” Aaron bores down into you with a glare. You shake your head and smile up at him, “I think me and you both being adults will be able to watch him.” Aaron watches you, thinking for a long while before speaking, “You got all dressed up.” His eyes rack over you, “You look great, by the way.” You give a cocky grin and eat it up, “Thank you very much.” You grab Aaron by his button-up shirt, pulling him away from the door. Aaron easily lets you lead him, a smirk slipping onto his face. You tease, “We dress nice at work all the time… maybe it would be fun to see each other in comfy clothes.” Once you get Aaron a few feet away from the front door, you stop. Aaron uncrosses his arms, and his face gets softer as he smiles, “That could be interesting.” You smile, rotating the two of you. So now your closest to the front door. You get a more serious tone, “Plus, it will give you more time with Jack. Our job is busy.” Aaron studies you again for a moment. You were sure he was trying to see if you really wanted this or were just saying what he wanted to hear. You tilt your head and reach behind you, grabbing the door handle, “I have a go-bag in my car. Let me go grab it so I can change.” Aaron smiles down at you and nods, “Okay, hurry back. Or Jack and I will start having all the fun without you.” You grin happily and reach up, giving Aaron a quick peck. Aaron does try to continue kissing you but pull away. You grin devilishly, teasing him before quickly slipping out the door.  
Within a few minutes, you were able to grab your bag and be back at Aaron’s door. You give a rhythmic knock, and Aaron casually opens the door. Now he was in a plain t-shirt and a pair of shorts. You grin and whistle at Aaron as he lets you in the door. Aaron closes the door behind you, making sure to lock it. Aaron comes up behind you and grabs you by your hips before you make it too far into the apartment. You let out a startled gasp before blushing. Aaron chuckles as he leads you further into his apartment, “Payback for that peck.” He was leaning down to talk to you, “Use my bedroom to get changed.” Aaron motions to his room before letting go of you, giving you a soft, playful pat on the ass. You tried to hide your smile as you turned around to glare at him. Aaron just smiles back. Hiding your own smile becomes pointless. You close the bedroom door behind you. You look around, thinking about how the night was going to go. Not wanting to be too presumptuous, you put your bag against the wall away from the bed. You start quickly changing into your comfy clothes, a t-shirt and a pair of sweats.  
Emerging from Aaron’s bedroom, you sneak over to Jack’s bedroom door, looking in. Aaron is sitting on the ground, playing with Jack. You smile and watch them for a second. It was nice seeing Aaron so happy, it gave you a fluttery feeling in your stomach. After enjoying the moment, you decide to move into the room, “So what's the plan?” You sit down next to Aaron and look at Jack. Jack was happily playing with action figures as he looked up at you, “I am choosing?” Aaron looks over at you with a smile on his face. You slide your hand across the floor until you reach Aaron’s. Aaron loosely wraps his hand around yours on the ground. You turn your attention back to Jack, “Yep, you know more about having fun than your dad and me, so you're in charge.” Aaron tassels Jack's hair, “That right, buddy.” Jack giggles happily before he goes off and brings over some things to do.  
First, it was just playing with figures, after a while switching to legos. When Jack was ready to move on from toys, he chose board games next. With how much Jack looked up to Aaron, it wasn't surprising that the first board game he grabbed was ‘Clue’. Jack pulled the box over to you and Aaron, “Let’s catch bad guys like you and daddy do.” Aaron makes a face and looks at you. You shrug smiling, “‘Clue’ is one of my favorite board games.” Aaron rolls his eyes, “Why am I not surprised?” You make a guilty face, “I suppose I shouldn't be surprised where I ended up career-wise. Though it was not my original plan.” You smile down at Jack as you help him set up the board game. Aaron also helps, “I’m glad you didn't choose a different line of work.” You chuckle, shuffling the cards, “You and me both.” You deal out the cards. You look down at Jack, “If you want, I’ll help you win Jack.” Jack looks up at you, “Really?” Aaron scoffs, “That would be blatant cheating.” You smirk at the man across from you, “Is it cheating when we get outside help? It’s called a consultation.” Aaron glares at you, smiling, “You're pushing it.” You put your hand to your chest in mock offense, “Jack, you're the boss. Would it be cheating or not?” Jack makes a face looking between you and his father, “We all help each other.” You hum happily, “You know you dad says the same thing at work, right?” You can feel Aaron watching you. Jack excitedly looks at you, “Really?” You nod, “Mhm, he always says ‘It doesn't matter who gets credit for it, as long as the bad guy gets caught.’” You smile at Jack, “That's how you know your daddy is a perfect guy.” Jack beams at his dad, “Daddy is the best!” You smile over at Aaron, “No argument here.” Aaron watches you with intense but happy eyes. You look away, blushing, focusing back on Jack, “Ready to catch the bad guy?” Jack rocks happily, “Yes, please.” You all start playing. Completely messing up the rules of the game in order to ‘consulate’ with each other. Obviously, you and Aaron slowly set it up so that Jack will end up winning.  
When Jack won, he proudly announced it, “I got the bad guy.” You help Aaron cleanup as he talks to his son, “Good job, buddy. Even beat two professionals.” You laugh, finishing putting the game away, “You know what we get to do when we catch the bad guy?” Jack looks at you, curiously. You start standing up, “We get to fly on a special plane.” You gently pick Jack up before fully standing up. Jack giggles as you hold him. Aaron watches you with a smile, and you wink at him. You carry Jack out of his room, as you start making plane noises. Once you get to the living room, you dramatically fake fall onto the ground, keeping Jack safe the whole time. Once you're on the ground, you lay on your back, holding Jack up above you. He holds out his arms with a smile, and you continue making plane noises for him. You laugh happily watching Jack have fun, you didn't really care how silly you looked. After a few minutes, Aaron walks into the room, watching you two for a minute. Aaron walks over, “You having fun?” You smile up at both the boys, nodding. Jack squirms around, you move him to the side and let Jack stand on his own. Jack runs and tackles his dad with a hug, “So much fun. Can they come over more often?” Aaron crouches down to pick up his son, looking at you. Aaron smiles, “I think we could do that.” You sit up on your elbows, “Maybe you and daddy can even come sleepover at my place sometime.” Aaron raises his eyebrows, smiling, “That would be really fun, wouldn't it?” Jack beams, “The most fun.” You chuckle, watching the two. Aaron kisses Jack on the cheek, “Why don't you go play while we make dinner?” Jack nods happily, running off as soon as Aaron sets him on the ground.  
Aaron walks closer to you, officially towering over you now. You flop back down onto the ground, “The view from down here is pretty nice… I like you in a suit, of course, but…” You grin, “Shorts are also a perfect look on you.” Aaron looked down at you with a smirk, “I’m liking your casual look as well.” You reach your arm up towards him. Aaron leans down and grabs you by your upper arm. You duplicate the action so he can pull you off the floor. It was a simple enough gesture, considering you both had helped each other up in the same way both in the field and during training exercises. You stood up on your feet, coming chest to chest with Aaron. You look up at Aaron and can’t help but smile, “I like how happy you look when we aren't at work.” Aaron smiles back at you, “I have a few good reasons to be.” You smirk as you add, “I thought that scowl was a permanent feature on your face.” Aaron rolls his eyes before lending down to kiss you. You kiss him back, wrapping your arms around his neck. Aaron’s hands rest on your hips. Easily getting lost in the moment until Aaron pulls away, “We need to start making dinner.”  
You huff pulling away as well, “I suppose we need food to survive.” Aaron chuckles, walking into the kitchen. You follow behind him, “I have a confession.” When Aaron gets into the kitchen, he turns around to face you. His brow already furrowed, worried. You nervously rub the back of your neck, “I don't know how to cook.” Aaron laughs, “You don't? How have you survived this long?” You shrug, “If it has a box with instructions on it, then I’m good but passed that I’m useless.” Aaron chuckles as he starts pulling some things out of the cabinets. You sigh, “In college, when I probably should have been learning how to cook like an adult should… I decided my studies were more worthwhile.” Aaron smirks, watching you, “That is something Reid would say.” You glare at him, crossing your arms, “Well, that was how I became good enough to get hired at the BAU so jokes on you. If I had not neglected to learn adult stuff, I wouldn't have been good enough for you to hire me.” Aaron laughs again, “You have the instincts. I’m sure you would have still made it in.” You roll your eyes and huff again, “When do we ever have time to make actual meals anyway?” Aaron walks over to you, backing you up until your ass hits the counter. You keep glaring at him. Aaron kisses you softly, “I can cook so you'll be fine.” Aaron pulls away and starts working on dinner, “Just don't tell Rossi… He might stop speaking to you or demand you be fired.” You laugh and pull yourself up to sit on the counter, “We could tell him we were dating, and he would cheer us on. We tell him I can't cook, and he would be pissed… Sounds right.” You sit back and watch Aaron cook.  
The dinner was delicious. Sitting at the dining room table with Aaron and Jack gave you the feeling you were a part of a family. Maybe you were moving too fast in your mind. You knew Aaron’s history and would never rush him into anything. You'd have a talk with Aaron later about it. But for now, you couldn't help how you felt. Sitting at this small table, having a nice dinner. Watching Aaron, who you've had feelings for since almost three years ago, looks so happy. While Jack cheerfully talked to both you and Aaron. It felt right, and it made your heart feel so full to be a part of it. So you couldn't help but feel like this is where you belonged.  
Once all three of you were finished with dinner, you helped clean up the table. Aaron gently grabs Jack from the table, “Time to get you cleaned up.” Aaron carries Jack back towards the bathroom. You take this chance to start doing dishes. Walking over to the dishwasher, you pop it open. You start looking through the cabinets, figuring out where all the dishes are supposed to go. Aaron walks back into the kitchen, “You didn't need to snoop around.” He teases you. You chuckle, “You caught me, trying to find out all your secrets based on what food you buy and how you organize things.” You turn to him and smile. Aaron started walking into the kitchen, “I can take care of that.” You growl and move quickly enough to physically block him from moving further, “Don’t you dare.” You glare up at him, “You cooked, so I’ll take care of this.” Aaron glares back down at you for a moment before he cracks a smile, “Fine.” He leans down and kisses you softly. You smile as you kiss him back. Breaking the kiss so you can get back to the dishes, humming as you put them away. Aaron goes to check on Jack in the tub every now and then. While you're filling the dishwasher with the dirty dishes, the apartment is filled with Jack’s happy giggling and even Aaron’s laughter. The nice domestic feeling was a pleasant change from anything you were used to.  
Right as you finished loading the dishwasher, you heard Aaron and Jack talking. You listen to the water start draining as Aaron speaks, “Pajamas and then bedtime for you, buddy.” Jack whines, “I wanna stay up with you.” Aaron sighs, “It’s getting late.” Jack resorts to begging, “Please daddy, just a little bit longer.” Aaron chuckles and caves, “Fine. Once you get dressed, you can pick a movie.” You chuckle to yourself as you hear Jack making excited noises which are shortly muffled by fabric.  
Moments later, Jack comes bolting out of the bathroom, wearing superhero pajamas. Jack runs right to you, “Daddy said we could watch a movie.” You crouch down and smile at Jack, “That's exciting.” Jack tackles you with a hug. You scoop him up in a hug as you stand up. Aaron walks in, seeing you two and smiles. Aaron kisses Jack on the forehead before the three of you head into the living room. You set Jack down, “What movie are you gonna pick?” Jack goes over to the small collection of movies, very carefully looking through them. You sit on the couch, getting comfortable. Jack picks a movie and hands it to his dad. Aaron gets it set up while Jack joins you on the couch, taking the middle cushion. When Aaron comes to sit down, he takes the other end of the sofa. Leaving Jack between the two of you. As the movie starts, you rest your arm on the back of the couch. Jack snuggles up to his dad. Aaron then mimics your gesture and rests his arm on the back of the sofa. He then intertwines your arms. You and Aaron exchanged a smile as the movie starts. You lazily glide your fingers over Aaron’s upper arm. Jack picked Captain America, not surprising considering how much he idolized his dad and the association Jack made between the two. The three of you happily watch the movie.  
While you and Jack made it all the way through the movie, Aaron fell asleep at some point. When the movie was over, Jack gave a big yawn, rubbing his eyes lazily. You look over at Jack slowly getting up, he looks from his father to you. You give Jack a small smile, whispering, “Mind if I tuck you in bed tonight since daddy is tired?” Knowing how much Aaron worked and how little time he had, you didn't want to wake him. Jack nods at you. You very carefully untangle your arm from Aaron’s. You wait for a second to see if Aaron starts waking up. When he doesn't, you gently reach down and pick up Jack, “Come on, sweetie.” You smile as you see how tired Jack is, already resting his head against your chest as you carry him. Slowly navigating your way to Jack’s room. When you get into his room, you pull the blanket back. Kneeling down and gently helping him into bed. Jack immediately gets comfy, moving around a bit. When Jack settles, you tuck him into bed. You're about to stand up when Jack looks at you and mumbles, “Read to me?” Jack yawns again, “Daddy does.” You smile down at him, “What book are you currently reading?” Jack shakes his head, “We finished.” You hum softly, “Okay, let me find another one.” You move so you can grab a book. Glancing through the titles, automatically ruling out any books you remember Aaron mentioning before. You land on ‘James and the Giant Peach’, grabbing it and sitting back down by Jack's bed. You open the book and start reading to Jack.  
Jack only lasted maybe five pages before he officially passed out. You smile and sit for a second quietly, making sure he doesn't start to wake up again. When he stays sound asleep, you re-tuck him in before standing up. Placing a bookmark in the book before setting it to the side. You look down and watch Jack again for another moment. You had seen so many horrible things at work. It was nice to be able to see good, peaceful moments like this as well. You started heading to the door only to get startled and instantly freeze up when you see someone in the doorway. Aaron had a huge smile on his face, his arms were crossed, and he was leaning on the doorframe leading into Jack’s room. You glared at Aaron, annoyed at yourself for not noticing someone had been watching you. You walk to the door, whispering when you get close enough to Aaron, “How long have you been standing there?” Aaron moves out of your way, “Long enough.” You roll your eyes and walk into Aaron’s room. Aaron follows behind you, quietly closing his bedroom door. You stand there and stare at your bag for a moment, not sure how to proceed.  
Before you figured out whether Aaron wanted you to stay the night or not, a question just fell out of your mouth, “I… uh… I wasn't overstepping or anything, right?” Aaron stops next to his bed. His features harden a bit, showing that he is studying you. You quickly add, “You were asleep, and I didn't want to wake you… but I know that…” You let yourself just trail off, not sure how to phrase it. You knew that this situation became a bit more complicated now. It was one thing when you hung out and spent time with Jack when you and Hotch were just friends and co-workers. But now that you and Aaron had expressed romantic feelings for each other, the whole dynamic had shifted slightly. Your hand crosses over your body to nervously rub your arm. Aaron’s features set a bit more before softening. Aaron smiles, “No, your fine. Jack likes you, and you're really good with him.” You smile softly, but your nerves win out. You shift back and forth on your feet. Aaron immediately notices. His eyes shift between you and your bag. Aaron was reading into it, “What's wrong? You haven't moved away from the door, and you put your bag as far away from my bed as you could.” You bite the inside of your cheek, avoiding eye contact, “I want to make sure I’m not moving too fast.” You let out a sigh and look back at Aaron, “I know your situation and history… and I…” You adjust yourself again, “I'm totally fine with the speed we are moving at. I mean, we have basically been dating for two years without the direct flirting… and without the whole having sex part... “ A smile twitches on your face before you blush and continue, “So… I want to make sure I’m not moving too fast... for you.” You watch Aaron for what seems like an eternity. Aaron's face softens up, and a comforting smile slides onto his face, “I will let you know if we start moving too fast.” You start feeling better, stepping closer. You smile, “So… You want me to stay the night?” Aaron grins and nods, “If you don't get in this bed, I will pick you up and put you in it.” You chuckle and glare at Aaron, standing your ground. He walks over to you, looking down at you, “Last chance.” You shrug and still don't move. Aaron chuckles and sighs. In one quick motion, he grabs you by your legs. Draping you over his shoulder. You gasp and start laughing, “Aaron!” You playfully hit him on the back. Aaron turns off the bedroom light before he moves to the bed. He gives you a light smack on the ass before gently flipping you onto the bed.  
You grin up at Aaron. He smiles back down at you before leaning down. Giving you a soft kiss before sliding into his bed next to you. You roll over to face Aaron, “You remember when we had to share a room on a case?” Even in the dim light, you could see Aaron narrow his eyes at you, “About a year ago? Yeah.” You chuckle, “It was a hotel with a huge bed, so we ended up sharing the bed.” Aaron smirks, “I was hoping you forgot about that.” You grin devilishly, “Kinda hard to forget, waking up with my boss spooning me.” Aaron chuckles, covering his face with his hand. “That was a complete accident.” You grin and tease, “It was a HUGE bed, we slept so far apart. That's one hell of an accident.” Aaron moves his hand and glares at you, “How do I know you didn't move closer to me first in your sleep, and then in my sleep, I ended up grabbing you?” You gently grab the front of his shirt, pulling him down for a short kiss, “If that's true, then both of us are at fault.” Aaron kisses you back, his hand moves up to hold the side of your face. Letting yourself get lost in the kiss. When you both pull away, you grin up at Aaron, “Still like being the big spoon?” Aaron just smiles in response, so you roll over. He wraps his arm loosely around you, pulling you close to him. Your back pressed against Aaron’s chest. A content hum leaves you as you melt into Aaron’s hold on you. Easily your eyes fall shut. You let yourself enjoy the secure and comfortable feeling as you slip into sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Smut (please read the note), other than that nothing really
> 
> Finally, having a little free time, you share some mundane domestic moments with Aaron. You're even able to spend some more time with Jack.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Most of this chapter is gender-neutral, but there is a smut section where I wrote the reader as having a vagina (and a few mentions of breasts), but no actual gendered terms are used. I have marked the smut section with a bunch of "====", so you can just skip over it without missing any plot. If someone is interested in having a separate version with the other set of genitalia just let me know and I can post it separately for you. Other than that, I was just really feeling some soft Hotch and Reader time, so that’s what happened.

You're not sure what woke you up first, Aaron moving or his phone ringing. You do know that when you felt him move, you grabbed his arm that was still draped over you, so he couldn't go anywhere. To Aaron’s credit, he didn't try to pull that arm away from you anymore. Instead awkwardly using his other one to fish around for his phone. With a low whine, you let go of him, so he doesn't have to struggle anymore. Aaron kissed the back of your head softly, as a silent ‘thank you’. He answers his phone, “SSA Aaron Hotchner.” Aaron goes quiet as the person on the other end talks. You could hear them talking but couldn’t make out the words. Aaron sighs, “Three dead and one suspected victim missing?” After a short pause, Aaron replies, “I’ll be there as soon as I can.” When Aaron hangs up the phone, you let out a louder whine this time. You roll over to face him, “This is the first time I’ve ever been annoyed to get a case.” You finally open your eyes, seeing Aaron smiling softly at you. He slides his hand under the hem of your shirt, “I don't like the poor timing, either.” Aaron runs his hand up your stomach before curving over your side and continuing up your back. You shiver and let out a soft moan. Aaron grins at your response, kissing you softly. You glare up at Aaron, “We don't have time to be handsy” His large hand trails up and down your back, “I suppose we don’t.” You smile and snake your fingers under his shirt, “Rain check?” Aaron’s muscular stomach tenses up under your fingertips. He gives you a nod. You smile and remove your hands, reaching up to kiss Aaron again. He deepens the kiss causing you both to get lost in it for a moment. Aaron pulls away first, “I need to shower and get Jack to school.” 

Aaron gets up and out of bed, “You're welcome to use my shower.” You huff as he leaves, rolling onto your back, “I think if we both walk into work freshly showered, the team might notice.” You lean up on your elbows, “But I will take another rain check on a shared shower later.” You grin and wink at him. Aaron chuckles, “Sounds like a fun time.” You smirk and get up out of bed, going to your bag. Aaron disappears, and soon you hear the water running in another room. You quickly change into work-appropriate clothes, packing your pajamas back into your bag. You hum softly, thinking. You push your bag over into the corner, so it's out of the way. Optimistically leaving it behind for a later date. Walking out into the kitchen as you start thinking about breakfast. You usually weren't the best at taking care of yourself, but since Aaron and Jack were here, you were thinking about them. You try to figure out what to make them, and it quickly comes to mind. Oatmeal and orange juice. You remembering hearing Aaron say that that’s what he normally made for breakfast. You cross your fingers, hoping it was a brand that had instructions on the box. Opening a few cabinets until you find what you're searching for. Breathing a sigh of relief when you see directions. You get started making breakfast. Soon you hear the water shut off from down the hall. While the oatmeal is cooking, you tiptoe to go check on Jack. The little boy rubs his eyes, already waking up and getting ready. He didn’t even need an alarm to wake him up in the morning. Making you chuckle at how much his dad has rubbed off on him. You go back into the kitchen to check on the food. Pulling out three bowls and glasses. Focusing on making the oatmeal. You figured it would be hard to mess up, but you didn't want to risk it. 

As you started putting servings of oatmeal into bowls, you see Aaron walk into the kitchen. He was tying his tie, but when he sees you, he stops for a second, “This is different.” You turn to see Aaron smiling at you. You chuckle, “Good different or bad different?” Aaron walks over and kisses your cheek, “Good… Definitely good.” You grin and push a bowl at him, “That was the correct answer.” You tease and grab the other two dishes, putting them on the dining table. You go back into the kitchen, pouring orange juice into all three glasses. Jack trots out happily, fully dressed, and ready to go. Jack sits at the table and happily starts eating. Aaron joins his son, and soon you join both of them as you deliver the glasses of juice. The three of you all share a quick happy little breakfast together. When you all finish up, everyone starts rushing again. Before you leave, you make sure to say ‘goodbye’ to Jack before giving Aaron one last kiss, “See you at work.” Aaron smiles at you as you step out the door. 

You got to work before Hotch did, which was very good for your cover. Now you only had to keep your micro-expressions under control when Hotch was around, and you would be set. Once Hotch was there, the round table meeting started, and you all went over the case. It was out of state so you would have to take the plane to get there. Three women dead with another one missing, and the unsub seemed to be holding them for only a few days. The goal was to find the unsub before they killed the fourth girl. Which gave the team about 72 hours to figure out the whole case. The short flight was spent having the team work out the profile. Almost as soon as the plane landed, the unsub discovered that the FBI was in town and got cocky. They decided sending taunts and threats was a good move. So, it ended up being a very long three days with very little sleep for the whole team. In the end, the team did catch the guy responsible. The fourth victim was saved, with her only needing a minor hospital visit. It was a win, but a win that left the whole team exhausted, including yourself. When the team got back to the BAU, most of them scattered, quickly wrapping up and heading home. Unsurprisingly you and Hotch ended up being the last people in the office. 

You were exhausted but wanted to keep working on paperwork. Filling it out on the couch in Hotch’s office. At some point, while filling out your assignments, you ended up dozing off. Waking up to Hotch gently nudging you, “Go home and get some sleep.” You blink a few times and huff, “I’m fine.” You yawn and rub your eyes. Hotch glares down at you, “That’s an order.” You chuckle and ignore him, starting writing again, “We are off the clock, so technically you can’t ‘order’ me to do anything.” Hotch crosses his arms, still boring down into you. You turn and look at him, giving him an innocent smile. He sighs, “Please.” You watch him and nod, “Fine...fine…” You start putting your papers away. You glance over at Hotch, “Are you going home too then? Or are you being a hypocrite?” Hotch glares at you before softening up, “I am actually.” He smiles at you, “You looking so cute and tired got me thinking…” You chuckle and curiously watch him as he leads you out of his office. Hotch closes his door behind you as he continues, “My apartment is closer than yours.” You grin and trot down the steps, “By maybe 10 to 15 minutes.” Hotch shrugs following close behind, “That’s 15 more minutes of sleep.” You chuckle and put your extra work at your desk, “If you want me to stay the night, you could just ask.” Hotch walks you over to the elevator, “You're the one who left your go-bag at my place.” You step onto the elevator, “True, but I could just sleep in my car. There is a new go-bag in it as well.” You grin at Hotch. He glares at you, “I’m not letting that happen.” You hum softly, “I really don't think you can stop me.” Hotch lets out a low growl, “Why are you being so stubborn?” You chuckle and wink at Hotch. When the elevator opens, you walk out, “Cause I’m too tired to be any real fun in bed.” Hotch gives you a sweet smile, “It’s fun enough being able to sleep next to you.” You blush brightly and mumble, “God, stop being so charming.” You head out to where your cars are parked. Once you get to a place where cameras could no longer see the both of you, Hotch moves in and kisses you. You smile and kiss him back, “I’ll stay the night you don't have to do any more convincing.” Hotch smiles down at you, “That was just because it's been three days since I could kiss you.” You let out a happy sigh, “You're a romantic sap.” Hotch nods in agreement and gives you another soft kiss. You slowly pull away from Hotch, “I'll see you at your apartment.” You get into your car ready to go for the night. 

A few weeks had passed, and everything was going good between you and Hotch. The biggest issue was how often you both worked, which wouldn't have been an issue if you didn't have to hide it. You both had been keeping the lie going, so you just had to find time outside of work when you to be together. Over the few weeks, all of your cases had taken a whole day or more, which meant it was usually you two going home long enough to sleep before going back into work. The few times you were able to make it to Aaron’s apartment, it was usually just spending time with Aaron and Jack, dinner, and then straight to sleep before waking up in the morning to start the work cycle all over again. Even with limited free time outside of work, you and Aaron had gotten closer, and Jack was warming up to you even more. Aaron made sure to call you in what little off time you both happened to have. More than once, Jack had asked to talk to you as well, which you were more than happy to do. Finally, tomorrow the team had a day off, and it actually seemed like you weren't going to get called in. Which you had been planning for, and you were more than ready for it. 

It was after work and late. You stared at the food section of the grocery store. Unsure of what to do, you called Aaron. Not even giving Aaron a chance to say ‘hello’, you bombard him as soon as he answers, “Aaron, what does Jack like to eat? Mac and cheese with hot dogs, maybe?” You let out a nervous hum, “But that doesn't have a whole lot of nutritional value, I’m assuming… maybe I should pick something else… does he even like mac and cheese?” Aaron started chuckling, “Yes, Jack is a normal kid who would be overjoyed to have that for dinner.” You grumble from Aaron’s chuckling. He lets out a happy sigh, “You're overthinking it.” You sigh loudly, “This is something I should be overthinking, though? Right? Like, food and nutrition are important for growing children.” Aaron keeps chucking, “One night without vegetables will be fine.” You whine loudly, ignoring the looks you were getting from fellow shoppers, “Yeah, for tomorrow night, but what about other times?” You can hear a playful eye-roll in Aaron’s voice, “We can talk about it later. You make it sound like its life or death. I have heard you calmer when dealing with unsubs.” You sigh and grab some mac and cheese boxes, “Well, I don't care if unsubs have a decent diet. I care if you and Jack do…” You push your cart with one hand as you mumble, “I also went to school for dealing with criminals.” Aaron laughs, “It's sweet that you worry so much, but you don't need to.” You get to the refrigerated section, grabbing the food you needed, “I may not need to, but I will so, hope you're ready to be on the phone with me until I finish shopping.” Aaron chuckles, “I am still at work. If you could have waited, I could have just gone with you.” You stop to look at a shelf and laugh, “And waste the little time we have shopping.” You start moving through the food isles picking up whatever other food you need, “Nah, I prefer multitasking. You finish up the paperwork, I get groceries.” Aaron sighs, “I think I'd rather be with you.” You start moving out of the food section, letting out a content hum, “Soon, handsome.” You hear Aaron writing. Clearly, someone walked in to talk to Aaron because you heard him using his stiff work voice for a moment. You keep thinking over what you need. You stop and stare at the children's section, “Would it be weird if I bought a bed for Jack?” Aaron laughs, “What?” You lazily walk through the section, “I mean, he is staying the night tomorrow, and it seems mean to make him sleep on the couch.” You thoughtfully hum, “I have a whole guest bedroom. Not even technically a ‘bed’ room, it doesn't even have a bed in it. Only filled with boxes.” Aaron chuckles, “If you really want to, you can. It seems a bit excessive for one night.” You huff, “But if you both spend the night again…” You sigh, “I guess it would just be easier to stay at your apartment most of the time…” Aaron stays quiet for a moment, before talking in a soft but serious tone, “Why are you so concerned about this? Jack already likes spending time with you.” You rub your temples with the palm of your free hand, “I…” You let out a long sigh, navigating yourself off to the side, away from other customers, “I don’t wanna be that kind of person who dates someone with a kid but then acts like the kid is just a backdrop in their partner’s life… That doesn't make a whole lot of sense…” You let out another sigh, trying to figure out how to say what you want to say, “I don't want Jack to feel like a ‘prop’ in our relationship… Like I only care about him to impress you or whatever.” You groan at yourself, “You know what I mean, we see it all the time… I don't want Jack to think that or feel like that…” You finally finish, not sure if you got your message across or not. Aaron’s voice comes out sweeter than normal, “I don’t think Jack feels that way. You're great with him. I can see you genuinely care about him, I’m sure he sees it too.” Aaron pauses. When he starts speaking again, you can hear a slight smile in his voice, “If buying a bed or whatever else would help you feel better, then I think it's a wonderful idea.” The sigh that leaves you this time is one of relief, “Thank you.” You push your cart back over to the kid’s section. You stare at the large box, “I’m going to have to let you go, hot stuff. I’m gonna need both hands to carry this and then figure out how to fit it into my car.” Aaron chuckles, “Alright, I’ll see you soon.” You smile, “Don’t take too long.” You decide to be cheesy and end the call by giving Aaron a kiss through the phone. 

After you checked out, you were lucky enough to be able to Tetris everything into your car safely. With the large box and everything else you bought settled in your car, you were ready to head home. It took multiple trips to get everything inside, which was a bit tiresome but worth it. Jack wasn't staying the night until tomorrow, but since it was just you and Aaron tonight, you wanted to get as much done as possible before Aaron came over. Once everything was inside, it was time to get your guest bedroom cleaned up. You start by moving all the boxes into the closet, not too worried about going through them at the moment. You throw some stuff into the washer before preheating the oven. With the guest bedroom cleared out, you sit down on the floor and start building the bed. 

As soon as you get the bed finished, there is a knock on your apartment door. You figured it was Aaron, but out of pure paranoia, you grab your gun before checking the door. You checked the peephole and smiled when you saw Aaron on the other side. Opening the door wide enough for him to come in. Aaron grins at you and walks in with his go-bag in hand. As you close and lock the door, Aaron comments, “Planning on shooting me?” You let out a nervous laugh, “Not currently.” Aaron turns around and raises an eyebrow at you as he chuckles, “I did message you and say I was on the way.” You hum and grab your phone off the table. Looking at the notifications, “That you did. I was very busy building a bed.” Aaron moves in closer to you. There was something in his eyes as he moved in on you. He uses his free hand to pull you to him and kisses you deeply. You smile into it and kiss him back. Right as you're about to start making out, you hear a beep from your kitchen. Pulling away before leading Aaron over to your bedroom, “I need to go get our food.” You quickly put your gun away. Aaron smiles, “Alright.” You go and pull a pizza out of the oven, setting it on the stove to cool down. 

Right when your hands are free, you feel Aaron’s arms wrap around you. You chuckle, pushing your body back into him, “Someone’s frisky.” Aaron puts his face into the crook of your neck. You can feel his lips move as he responds, “This is the first time we will have a night with just the two of us.” You close your eyes and shiver, “True, we haven't had a chance to fool around yet.” In a silent response, Aaron slides a hand down your stomach. Gliding his fingers under the hem of your pants. A moan slips out of you, your body starting to react to his touch. You grab his wrist, pulling it out of your pants. Aaron lets out an annoyed growl. You open your eyes and chuckle, “Not in the kitchen.” You turn around. When you see the hunger in Aaron’s eyes, you swallow hard. Arousal starts building between your legs. Aaron’s jacket was gone. Something about the loss of a singular piece of clothing added to how attractive he looked right now. Aaron grins at you, rolling up his sleeves. You hum and bite your lip. Watching for a moment before nudging him out of the kitchen. You grab Aaron by his tie and pull him into your bedroom. He eagerly lets you lead him. 

**=========================================================================================================================================================**

Once in your bedroom, you immediately start kissing Aaron again. You let Aaron’s tongue into your mouth, twisting your tongues together. As you keep your lips locked with his, you reach down and search for his belt. When you feel the metal against your fingers, you start unbuckling it. Aaron starts trying to pull up your shirt. You break the kiss and pull away, “Not yet.” Aaron let his hands tightly grip your hips to keep you from moving too far away. He glares down at you with dark eyes, “Why?” His voice was full of lust and came out rougher than usual. You look up at him innocently as you undo his pants, “Because…” You pause and glance down. Seeing his hard cock straining to get out of his boxers. You can't help but moan at the sight. You look back up, meeting Aaron’s eyes, “I want to taste you first.” Aaron’s expression changes from horny annoyance to aroused dismissal, “Y...You don’t…” His voice was softer than it was a minute ago. You could have sworn Aaron was blushing. It was so cute that you gave him a sweet smile. Aaron cleared his throat and regained some of his composure, “I don't expect you to do that.” You kiss him softly, “I know you don't.” You gently move Aaron backward until he is leaning against your bed for support. You move to whisper in his ear, “The thing is I want to suck your cock, Aaron.” The words cause his body to stiffen up. Aaron loosens his hold on your hips. You grin, planting a kiss on his cheek. Finally, grabbing the waistband of his boxers. You look down, pulling the cloth down just enough for his cock to spring out. 

You sink down onto your knees. Taking Aaron's member into your hand, getting a good look at it. He was well endowed, nice, and thick. With precum already leaking from the tip. You let out a happy hum, “Where have you been hiding this?” Aaron’s hands grasp onto the edge of the bed. He tries to control his breathing. You slowly move your hand up and down Aaron’s shaft. His cock leaks more precum in response. You remove your hand. No longer wanting to keep Aaron waiting and unable to hold yourself back anymore. You give a testing lick all the way from the base of his cock to the tip. Aaron had his eyes shut tight as he let out a restrained grunt. With that, you take the tip of his cock into your mouth, sucking softly. Aaron lets out a pleased groan. Enjoying Aaron’s reaction, you take him deeper down your throat. You see his hand moving out of the corner of your eye. Taking his cock even deeper until it hits the back of your throat. Aaron responds in a husky tone, “Fuck.” You gag softly, causing him to open his eyes and look down at you. When his eyes meet yours, you moan. Making sure to vibrate his cock. Aaron’s hand goes right to your hair. At first, he gives your hair a slight tug, pulling another moan out of you. You start moving his shaft in and out of your throat. His grip easily loosens, and he just gently keeps his fingers tangled in your hair. You close your eyes, starting to speed up. The suppressed noises Aaron keeps making cause more heat to pool in between your legs. In an attempt for some minor relief, you push one of your hands down your pants. You curve your tongue so that it glides over his cock with every bob of your head. Your fingers easily find your clit, rubbing it just enough to subside your own arousal. Returning your focus back to sucking Aaron’s cock. Taking him deep enough that your nose pressed against his shirt's fabric before pulling back and repeating. Aaron loses whatever composure he had left. His knuckles turn white from how tightly he is grabbing your bed. A mixture of grunts and moans, leaving him as you feel his cock start to twitch. You suck harder, trying to push him over the edge. In a weak attempt to not finish right now, Aaron tightens his grip on your hair before gently trying to lead you off his cock. You stubbornly do the opposite, pushing his cock down your throat one last time. With another curse under his breath, Aaron cums right down your throat. You let out a pleased purr. Swallowing every last drop. Once he has absolutely emptied himself down your throat, he loosens his hold on your hair once more. You wrap your lips around his cock. Giving one last suck to help clean it off. When you reach the tip, his cock comes out of your mouth with a loud pop. 

Even though you were in the privacy of your own apartment, there was something about Aaron still being in his work clothes that made this seem forbidden. The way your excitement pooled in your underwear reflected just how much you liked it. You start catching your breath as you open your eyes and look up at Aaron. He has an almost dazed look in his eyes as he pants out, “I thought you wouldn't want me to…” Aaron pauses, bringing his hand to cover his face, ”finish in your mouth.” You tilt your head to the side and chuckle, “I said I wanted to taste you.” You lick your lips and grin, “I meant it.” Aaron lets out a long content sigh, “It felt good.” You smile and pull your hand out of your pants before standing up, “I've never seen you this flustered, it's adorable.” Aaron removes his hand from his face, glaring at you. You grin and kiss him softly. With a growl, Aaron grabs you by your hips. Picking you up. He turns you both before setting you on the bed. You laugh, putting your knees on either side of Aaron’s waist. Aaron bores down into you, “You enjoyed my reaction a little too much.” You look up at him, innocently, “I don’t know what you mean.” You reach forward and start pulling Aaron’s pants down all the way. He kisses you roughly, already pushing his tongue into your mouth. You moan, hearing his belt hit the floor as you kiss him back. When you start unbuttoning Aaron’s shirt, he breaks the kiss. Tightening his grip on your hips before quickly pulling you towards him. Causing your back to hit the bed, your ass sliding right on the edge of the mattress. You let out a surprised gasp before regaining your composer enough to tease Aaron, “Did you enjoy tasting yourself on my tongue?” He grabs the hem of your pants and underwear, roughly tugging them down your legs, "I should have known you would have a filthy mouth." You arch your back and wiggle around to help remove your bottoms. Shivering when your wet pussy is exposed. You give him a mischievous nod, "Really should have, gets me into all sorts of trouble." Aaron grins before moving between your legs. 

Aaron kisses down one thigh, stopping right before reaching your center, doing the same thing with your other thigh. Your breath catches in your throat. An involuntary loud moan escapes your body. Aaron chuckles at your reaction as he moves in and licks up your slit. You reach your hands down and tangle them into his hair. He presses further in burying his tongue inside you. Closing your eyes as you try to suppress another moan. Aaron slides his hand around your hip. His large hand rests on your lower abdomen. Putting his thumb in the perfect position to move down and rub your clit. Your hips twitch eagerly. He starts moving his tongue in and out of you at a harsh pace, matching that pace with his thumb. You could feel yourself already getting close to your orgasm, closing your eyes tightly. You gasp loudly and arch your back, trying to get away from the intense pleasure. Aaron uses his strength to keep you in place. Right before you can orgasm, he completely stops working your pussy. He chuckles as he pulls back enough to watch you pant. When you're finally starting to catch your breath, Aaron starts slowly moving his thumb over your clit, this time at an agonizingly slow pace. You felt how slick you had gotten, craving release. You let out a loud, impatient whine, gently tugging his hair to bring him back into you. Aaron laughs, “This is a perfect look on you.” You let out an annoyed desperate huff, “Aaron…” He places a kiss on your thigh before removing his thumb off your clit, giving your lower abdomen a loving caress. He moves his other hand in between your legs, pushing two fingers into you. After he brought you so close to the edge a moment ago, you already felt yourself pulsing around his fingers. Aaron moves back in between your thighs, wrapping his mouth around your clit. He expertly works your sensitive numb while driving his fingers in and out of you. He curls his fingers just right, pressing right into your g-shot. Your hips buck softly while pleasurable whimpers escape your mouth. Aaron picks up his speed to match your eagerness. You feel the pressure quickly building in your stomach, getting close to your release. As you moan and squirm, he flicks his tongue over your clit, adding to the stimulation. He inserts a third finger. Stretching you out in the best way before pressing the tips of his large fingers into the perfect spot. You throw your head back, broken moans falling out of your mouth. Shutting your eyes tight as you see stars, orgasming hard. Aaron keeps working you through your orgasm. Your whole body feels like it's vibrating as waves of satisfaction wash over you. As you start coming down from your orgasm, you slowly begin regaining your baring. You let go of Aaron’s hair, allowing your limbs go limp as you just focus on breathing. He carefully laps up all your juices. When he is all finished, Aaron kisses up your lower abdomen, working his way up to your chest. You let out a content hum, finally opening your eyes again. He stops right under your breasts before standing up fully. 

You sit upon your elbows shakily. Seeing Aaron undo his tie and tossing it to the side before unbuttoning his shirt. You smile at Aaron, lazily pulling off your own shirt, followed by your bra. When he pulls his shirt off, Aaron grins down at you. His lust-filled eyes trail over you. You both had seen each other naked before, but it was always in mundane situations like changing clothes or showering when you stayed the night with him. This was the first time you both had the time to just take each other in. Aaron was a very handsome man. Amazingly toned body with just enough chest hair trailing down his torso. Looking at him like this, you were also able to see all his scars. You had no issue with these blemishes. Hell, you got your fair share on the job as well. But it was the history behind his scars that had you lingering on his chest, making your heart hurt. You looked back up to Aaron’s eyes and started to sit up, “Come here.” Your voice came out hoarse but sweet. Aaron eagerly obliged, moving in to kiss you softly. You smile as you kiss him back, letting your hands gently explore his chest. He grabs your hips and picks you up, moving you both further onto the mattress. Once he is positioned over you on the bed, you wrap your legs around his waist. This time you both take a bit longer. He holds himself up on one hand so his other one can run up your side. You lean into his touch, deepening the kiss. Aaron’s hand slides up so he can fondle one of your breasts. You let out a small moan, arching your back. You feel Aaron’s hard member causing you to start grinding up and down his shaft. Your thighs start getting slick again, the more you rub against him. Aaron groans and stops kissing you, “Are you ready?” You smile, giving him a nod. He takes his hand off your chest. Looking down as he moves his hand to line up his cock with your entrance. He slowly pushes into your pussy, causing you to let out a pitiful moan. After getting the tip inside of you, Aaron looks up at you. His dark eyes lock with yours so he can watch your expression as he pushes further inside of you. Your hand gently grasps onto his chest as you feel him going deeper. With each inch, you feel your pussy stretching further. Short moans pour out of your mouth as you look up at Aaron, who hasn't taken his eyes off you. His hips finally press into yours as he bottoms out. The moan you let out is much louder this time. You lean up and give him tender kisses as you let your body adjust to his size. He returns the gesture causing you to smile happily. 

You start shifting your hips, ready for him to start moving. Aaron pulls almost all the way out of you before thrusting back into your pussy. You let out a pleased gasp before he starts to kiss down your neck. You close your eyes and tilt your head to the side, opening more of your neck for him. Aaron’s cock moves in and out of you, going at a sensual pace. Taking his time so you can both thoroughly enjoy this. Starting to pant as you let your hands start wandering over his chest again. He starts sucking at the skin on your neck, causing you to shiver. His cock manages to hit the perfect spot inside you every time, making you arch your back. In response, Aaron starts thrusting harder. Filling the room with the sound of skin slapping together mixed with your moans and his grunts. The skin on your neck starts to get tender. You glide your hand up his chest. Moving your hand to tangle your fingers in his hair, gently pulling him off your neck. He removes his mouth from your neck. Kissing his way up to your chin, stopping when he gets to your lips. You kiss him deeply as he trails a hand down your body, slipping between your legs. Excitedly you buck your hips. Aaron pushes his fingers onto your clit, massaging to match the pace of his thrusts. You moan into his mouth as your kissing gets sloppier. Electricity starts to surge through your body as you feel your orgasm building. You thrust back against him, chasing your release. Aaron skillfully hastens his fingers while making sure to drag his cock against your g-spot with every thrust. You cling to him as your orgasm overwhelms you. Breaking the kiss so you can gasp and pant as your body quivers. He keeps going, prolonging your pleasure. As your orgasm comes to an end, your pussy starts to pulse. Aaron moans, his thrusts becoming staggered. The post-sex haze clears out of your mind, just enough to focus on one thing. You use all your energy to massage his cock with your pussy muscles. He lets out a low grunt, moving his hands to grasp onto your hips as he finishes. Shooting a huge load deep inside you. You let out a satisfied moan. Aaron’s hips come to a stop as he rests his forehead on your chest. Able to feel his hot breath on your skin as he pants. You focus on regaining your senses. As your chest stops heaving, you loosen your hand in his hair. Choosing to lazily run your fingers through his hair instead. Aaron makes a content noise as his breathing evens out. He pulls out of you, resting on top of you. You whine from the loss of contact. In response, he brings his head up and gives you an affectionate kiss. You smile softly and give him a kiss back. 

**=========================================================================================================================================================**

After a few more moments pass, you both detangle from each other. Aaron rolls over off of you and lays on the bed next to you. You chuckle, “If I had known you were that good in bed, I would have jumped you a lot sooner.” Aaron’s hand finds yours as he laughs, “I second that.” You give his hand a squeeze. Letting out a groan as you get up off the bed. He sits up, giving you an inquisitive look. You smile, “Stay in here and get comfy. I’ll be back.” A smile slips onto Aaron’s face, and he nods. You quickly slip out into the kitchen, grabbing the no longer fresh pizza off the stove. Putting it on a tray before cutting it up. You happily trot back into your room, pizza in hand. When you walk in you, see Aaron sitting up against the headboard. You let out a content hum as you turn on the tv in your room and slide into your side of the bed. Placing the dish between the two of you, “Well, it's not warm anymore because someone…” You turn and grin at him, “Distracted us.” Aaron chuckles and kisses you, “You liked it.” You shrug playfully and grab a slice, “That is not relevant.” He grabs you and pulls you in closer to him, “It's very relevant.” You laugh as you snuggle up with him, “You went to law school, so I’m just going to concede and let you win.” You give him a quick kiss before you begin eating. He smiles and starts eating to join you. You and Aaron snuggled up close under the sheets. Not caring about what you were watching, or that you both were still bare and messy as you both ate. Deciding to worry about it in the morning so you both could enjoy this time together. After eating and pushing the tray off to the side, you and Aaron finally lie down to sleep for the night. 

You had agreed to go work out with Aaron, which seems like it could be nice. That was until you were actually in the process of getting ready for it. You both had cleaned up your room, started laundry, and then showered before beginning to get prepared. You had to actually find your workout clothes, you only used them when you needed to do your FBI physical exam. You dug through boxes until you found it. You huff, “Whatever we are doing better be fun after all this effort to find the clothes…” You pulled them on. Aaron chuckles, “I think it’s fun.” He had been ready for a while now. Since he only had to dig the clothes out of the go-bag be brought over. He watches you change. You finish getting dressed in a pair of tight workout pants, a tank top, and tennis shoes. You walk to Aaron and smile, “I know I will at least enjoy spending time with you.” You kiss him on the cheek. Looking down to admire how hot he looked in his workout gear. Aaron kisses you back on the lips before grabbing his keys, and you both exit your apartment. 

The drive there was quick and straightforward. As you got out of Aaron’s car, you admired the scenery. It was a beautiful spacious park, not too many people here this early in the morning. You walk around to the front of his car, “So, do we just pick a trail and run?” Aaron chuckles and walks over to you, “That is how it usually works.” You make a curious noise, “Usually?” You grin at him, “Are we going to be doing something different? Like a competition or something?” Aaron gives you a smack on the ass to get you to walk with him, “Do you really want to race me? I do this about once a week.” You make a face as you and him walk together, “Well, you’ll have an advantage, but I’m a competitive person.” You grin at Aaron. You both stop at a trail. He laughs, “Fine, we will see if you can keep up.” You stand in front of him, “Not so fast. What are the stakes?” Aaron narrows his eyes at you, “Stakes?” You roll your eyes, “What are we betting? Like sex stuff or like dates or paperwork?” You tilt your head at him. Aaron grabs your hips and laughs, “Let’s leave our job out of this. Those other two things, though…” You grin devilishly and kiss him. Aaron kisses you back and then pulls away, “A date. We haven't really had time to go on any.” You smile happily, “Winner plans the date, loser pays for it?” He thinks about it, “Deal.” Aaron has a big smile on his face, and you can't help but smile back. You lean in and give him one last peck before moving back beside him. 

You were a competitive person, and you tried your hardest. But you were no match for Aaron. He really did train often, and it showed. You didn't love losing. You did enjoy the view from behind him as you ran. He finally finished running. You caught up with him soon after. You were panting hard. Bending over to hold your knees as you tried to catch your breath, “Aren't you supposed to take it easy on me since we’re dating?” Each word came out in between a breath. Aaron laughs, panting as well, but less than you were, “That would be cheating...” As you stare at the pavement, you hear him walk over. He rubs your back, “I also want to keep you healthy.” You groan and stand up straight, “Yes, so I can live forever, and you can further torment me with this kind of thing.” You give him a playful glare, your breath finally coming back to you. Aaron smiles and kisses you softly, “That's the plan.” A smile replaces your glare, “I can live with that.” You grin and start heading back to his car, “I’ll just have to annoy you for the rest of your life in return.” Aaron rolls his eyes, smiling as he takes your hand in his, “I think I can manage that.” You hum happily and tangle your fingers with his. You rest your head against his shoulder as you both walk. It was nice to be able to show affection in public or affection at all. Considering you both had to monitor every micro-expression you made at work to keep everyone out of trouble. Aaron comments as you reach his car, “We have a few hours before we need to pick up Jack.” He leans down and plants a kiss on the top of your head, causing you to let out a pleased hum. You both separate before getting into his car. 

After getting back home, both you and Aaron got cleaned up and changed. Giving you a little time to lounge on the couch before going to pick up Jack. Aaron drove to the house that Jack had stayed at last night. Casually discussing what to do for lunch while he drove. When Aaron got to the house, he parked out front before getting out of the car. You stay in the vehicle, assuming this was more of a ‘parental’ situation. Not that you weren't interested in taking on a parental role of some kind with Jack, but you always worried about overstepping. Aaron gets a few steps towards the house before turning around. He furrowed his brow, trying to figure out what you were doing. You slowly get out of the car, “I wasn't sure if you'd want me to join you.” Aaron chuckles, gently placing his hand on your back to walk with you, “Between the two of us, I’m supposed to be the worrier.” He turns and leans down to kiss your cheek, “You worry too much.” You both walk up the stairs to the front door. You huff, “One could argue that I don't worry enough.” Aaron smiles, rolling his eyes at you. He takes his arm off your back and knocks. After a minute or so, a woman answers the door, “Ohh! Hello, Aaron.” You hear the two kids playing somewhere in the house. The woman smiles, opening the door up for you both, “You both must be here for Jack.” Aaron smiles and nods, before stepping into the house. You follow behind, trying your best not to start profiling the house. The woman peaks around the corner of the hallway, “Jack, your dad is here.” The woman turns back to you both, “Jack is such a polite young boy. My Aiden could learn something from him.” Aaron smiles, “I don't think I can take all the credit for that, but thank you.” Jack comes around the corner with his backpack in tow. Jack’s face lights up when he sees both of you, and you can’t help but smile. Aaron crouches down, and Jack runs to give his dad a hug. Aaron hugs him back, Jack looks over at you, “You came too?” You nod happily, “Of Course, I said all three of us were going to hang out today, didn’t I?” You see another little boy, who must be Aiden, walk up behind his mom. Jack breaks away from the hug and goes to grab onto your hand. Jack waves at his friend, “Bye, Aiden.” You return the gesture and hold Jack’s hand. Aaron stands up, talking to Aiden’s mother, “Thank you for having Jack over Maggie.” Jack gives a big smile, “Thank you, Miss.” You smile and wave at the woman before Jack starts gently, guiding you to the car. You follow behind him, letting him lead you. You hear Aaron exchange a few more words with Maggie. Jack looks back at you, “What are we going to do?” You chuckle as you crouch down, “Well, I was thinking lunch and…” You talk a little quieter, “I was hoping you'd help me convince your dad to take us to a fun ice cream place after.” Jack gets excited and tackles you with a hug, “I love ice cream.” Aaron walks up behind the both of you, “I heard you plotting.” You chuckle and hug the little boy back. Ruffling his hair before you stand back up, “I don't know what you're talking about.” The three of you get into the car and head out for lunch. 

The first stop was for actual food. You let Jack pick what kind of food to get. He ends up picking burgers, so the three of you go to a local burger place downtown. It was nice having such a calm day with your two boys. A small part of you worried that a call from work would come in any minute and interrupt everything. But by the time you all went to get ice cream, the suspicion had finally left your mind. It didn't take really any convincing from either Jack or yourself to get Aaron to take you to get ice cream. You knew a perfect place. One of those ice cream parlors with more flavors then you could imagine with just as many toppings. Luckily you were right, and Jack had a field day picking out what he wanted. Thinking both you and Aaron enjoyed watching how excited Jack was more then you both enjoyed the ice cream itself. Your mid-day outing was finished up by lazily strolling around the shopping area downtown. 

That ended up being kind of a poor decision. Only because you couldn't resist Jack’s adorable excited face when he saw something he wanted. So, you found yourself buying some things for Jack. Aaron shook his head and chuckled, “You're spoiling him.” You huff and follow Jack around, a few bags already in your hands, “I don't have any issues with that.” You watch Jack look over the items on the shelves. You look over at Aaron, “You can pick some stuff out too. I’ll just spoil you both.” You grin at him. Jack picks up a toy, looking so serious and considered, debating whether he wants it. Aaron sarcastically gestures around in the toy section, “So many choices.” You glare at Aaron, “Har. Har.” You playfully nudge him with your shoulder, “Keep it up, and I’ll only buy you boring stuff.” Aaron laughs and leans over to kiss you, “I have everything I want right here.” Aaron motions to Jack and then you. You kiss Aaron back and blush, “You're a huge sap.” You lean into Aaron, and he wraps his hand around your waist as you both keep following Jack around. Even when you wrapped up your shopping adventure, Jack was such a well-behaved kid that he didn't pick out an overabundance of stuff. Sticking with maybe a handful of toys rather than going crazy with your offer to buy him things. Once checked out, all of you head back to the car before driving to your apartment. 

You unlock the door to your apartment, opening the door wide to let Jack go in first. The little boy cautiously creeps into your place. You give Jack a comforting pat on the back, “It’s okay, kiddo. You can run around.” Jack looks up at you, double-checking that he heard you right. You smile down at him and nod. Jack even looks back at Aaron to make sure his dad thinks it's okay. Aaron nods, “Go ahead, buddy.” Jack moves faster, curiously scurrying around. You step in with Aaron following behind you. You watch Jack inspect everything in your apartment. Carrying the bags in your hands into your guest bedroom that is now Jack’s. You hear Aaron talking to Jack, “Come with me for a second, they have a surprise for you.” You set the bags next to the child’s bed. Soon you see Aaron carrying Jack into the room. Jack turns in his father's arms, peaking around. The boy starts wiggling, and Aaron laughs before setting him down. Jack runs over to the small bed and looks from it to you, “For me?” You smile happily and kneel down, “Mhm, your own bed if you want it.” Jack runs over to you, his eyes lighting up. He attacks you with a hug, knocking the air out of your lungs. You laugh and hug Jack back. Jack mumbles into your shoulder, “It is so cool.” You scoop Jack up, “Let’s go have some fun.” Turning towards the door, you see Aaron with a massive smile on his face, watching you both. You walk over, giving Aaron a kiss while you keep a safe grip on Jack. Aaron kisses you back before the three of you head out to the living room for the rest of the night. 

The rest of the night was pure domestic happiness. Relaxing on the couch, watching whatever movie sounded good. While Jack alternated between snuggling up with you and Aaron and playing with some of his new toys. When dinner rolls around, you go and make it for all three of you. Aaron was right, Jack was thrilled with mac and cheese with hotdogs. Not that you doubted him, but clearly you were a worrier at heart, at least when it came to things like this. Small silly chit chat while you all eat around your small dining room table you don't think you’ve ever used before. After you all finished eating, it was back to the couch for some pleasant lounging. The sun dropped down below the horizon as nighttime rolled around. Jack was the first to start yawning, signaling that it was bedtime. Aaron sent Jack to go put on pajamas. When that was finished, Aaron went into Jack’s new room and started to read the little boy to sleep. You leaned in on the doorway so you could listen to Aaron continue reading from the book you picked out a few weeks ago. When Jack was sound asleep, both you and Aaron headed into your room to get ready for bed. Once prepared, you both began cuddling on the bed. While you were closing your eyes and trying to sleep, you thought about a few things. 

You enjoyed your job, enjoy being a loose term because of the murder and whatnot. You usually had a problem sitting still for too long. Which is why you normally worked as early and as late as Hotch did. Today, however, had given you a realization of sorts. You really enjoyed being with both Aaron and Jack all day. You have never given much thought to having a family or anything like that. You had decided to altogether ditch any social life you had when you set your sights on joining the BAU. After joining them even looking past the crush you had on Hotch, the whole team became your family, and you were content with that. But after you and Aaron revealed your feelings for each other, it opened a whole door of possibility you had never thought of before. You had only officially been dating for a few weeks, but you had been close for almost two years, and that seemed to have accelerated things a bit. So, as you drifted to sleep, one last thought crossed your mind. It may have been too early to actually bring it up, but you welcomed the idea of becoming a cute little family unit with Aaron and Jack.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Strauss forces you and Hotch to talk to an UnSub that you would be much happier to forget existed. Even with Hotch’s protests Strauss orders you both to go. Once there things do go exactly how either of you expected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Canon Criminal Minds level violence, Stalkerish and creepy UnSub, vague mention of non-depression related self harm, and cussing.
> 
> Left completely gender-neutral. Was a good chunk of this chapter inspired by Season 3 Episode 14, ‘Damaged’, the scene where Hotch is ready to fist fight an UnSub to protect himself and Reid? Yes, yes it was. Took me a minute to write this because I wanted to do certain feelings in this chapter justice, hopefully it all came through and makes sense. Feel free to tell me if it didn't turn out as good as I intended it to be.

After Aaron and Jack spent the night, your relationship progressed further. Not much changed, considering how busy you both were. But any extra time you both had was spent with each other. You knew that your feelings for him had grown, approaching the realm of love. You weren’t going to express those emotions, though. At least not first since you weren’t sure exactly what Aaron’s feelings were. While you knew Aaron was serious about this relationship, you wanted to wait for him to take the emotional confession lead. After all he had been through Aaron deserved to take things at whatever pace he needed too. It was a good thing you and Aaron had going. Even with having to keep the relationship a secret, it just worked between you two. You started staying at Aaron’s apartment more and more. Jack really seemed to enjoy having you around more often. You relished spending more time with Jack as well. Seeing him and Aaron interacting together and being able to spend time with them both was enough to make you forget about whatever horrible thing you had seen while on a case. Between hotel stays, while traveling for work and staying with Aaron, you barely made it back to your apartment anymore. You didn’t find yourself missing your place all that much. You did manage to get Aaron and Jack to stay the night at your place again once or twice, but it felt more like a vacation home of sorts than your own. Staying at Aaron's had become your happy little normal over a handful of months that helped relieve the burdens of work.  
You were currently sitting in Hotch’s office with the door closed. Usually, this could have a chance at being a fun time, but considering Strauss was closed in here with the both of you. It was far from a good time. Hotch was irritated and couldn't completely hide it from his voice, “We won't be going.” You bounced your leg nervously, just listening instead of interrupting the conversation. Both Strauss and Hotch were staring each other down as he continued speaking, “The team has another case. We are needed there.” Strauss still hasn't sat down yet, a power move on her part, “You both have been specifically requested. He refuses to talk to anyone else.” Hotch tenses up and is about to argue. Strauss cuts him off. She starts walking out, “That’s an order.” Strauss opens the door and stops, looking back at both of you, “For BOTH of you.” The door slams closed behind her, leaving both you and Hotch sitting together in silence. Your leg had not stopped bouncing even after Strauss left. Which Hotch easily noticed even as he closes his eyes and pinches the bridge of his nose. Hotch sighs, “You don't have to-” You stop him, “Yes, I do. WE both do.” You weren't happy about this. You were extremely anxious. With anger right behind it, trying to fight to be your dominant emotion. Hotch looks up at you. His face had softened since Strauss left. However, his brow was still furrowed, and he looked beyond annoyed. Hotch watched you, “We don't have to give him the satisfaction…” You stand up, “I don't plan on letting him scare me into not being able to do my job. Let’s go pay Ben Monte a visit and see what the asshole has to tell us.”  
Ben Monte. Ben was a particular sore spot with you. He was an unsub from a year or so ago. Ben had killed eighteen people before the BAU got called in. He was tricky because he didn’t care about race, age, or sex. Ben enjoyed cutting people up while they were still alive and toying with their organs while they could feel it. He chose victims seemingly at random. Only later to find out that Ben liked taking people with strong and stubborn personalities. Unfortunately, that means Ben set his sights on you after you and Hotch pulled him in for an interrogation but didn't have any evidence to hold him on. Luckily for you, though, by the time Ben tried to make his move to get you, the team was ready to arrest him. You willingly agreed to go as bait to lure Ben out, and he fell for it. Hook, line, and sinker. But Ben Monte shot you moments before the team could grab him. Ben had never used a gun before, so you hadn’t been wearing a vest. You spent a few days in the hospital but were able to recover without too many issues. There were some nightmares, but you had put the whole thing behind you. That was until Ben Monte claimed he had other unfound victims and refused to speak to anyone but the team who originally interrogated him. Meaning you and Hotch. You weren't thrilled about it, but if Ben was telling the truth and you could get the information out of him. Then you would suck it up and talk to the monster again.  
After the first in-prison interview of sorts, that's when you learned just how much Ben Monte ‘liked’ you. Ben was disgustingly infatuated with you. Since he had only gotten a chance to shoot you and watch you bleed, Ben clung to a fantasy of making you suffer more like he did with all his other victims. Which Ben loved describing in vivid detail to you in between answering the questions you asked him. Ben was so descriptive at times that you could picture the plans he had for you, and it made your stomach churn. You had enough self-control to keep yourself composed during that horrible conversation, but it took a toll afterward. Those scenarios Ben described to you had burrowed their way into your head. Hotch had witnessed you live through this before. Hotch had even seen the aftermath of that interview when you became so tired from the nightmares stopping you from sleeping. Seen the agitation that followed that had caused you to start more than a few fights when anyone questioned you. It took some mandatory therapy to get through it. So you could understand why he was so upset for you. While you appreciate him being so protective of you, you weren't going to let something like this stop you from bringing closure to the families of the victims.  
Hotch went to tell the team where you both were going. You went right down to the van, getting into the passenger seat. Normally you wouldn't mind driving, but you didn't think it was a good idea at the moment. Trying not to think about it too much, you try forcing yourself to think about anything else. Aaron gets into the car, takes one look at you, and decides not to start the vehicle. He looks at you, “Do you want to talk about it?” You make a curious humming noise, trying to feign ignorance, “Talk about what?” Aaron scowls at you, “The reason you're holding your side and who we are about to go talk to?” You look down, and indeed your hand had gravitated to your side. You were pressing right on the scar Ben gave you. Consciously realizing what you were doing makes the dull pain in your side come to the front of your senses. You let out a long sigh, “I don't want to talk about it right now…” You frown and look out the window as you finish speaking, “After this little… interview… I’ll probably still not want to talk about it, but I will need to.” You feel Aaron’s hand wrap around the one covering your long healed wound. Your breath catches in your throat, and you tighten your hand around his. Your emotional composure wavered a bit. You knew you couldn't bury your feelings inside forever. You wanted to make it through this accursed trip. Knowing it will at least turn into temporary anger, which would work to your benefit while talking to Ben Monte.  
Aaron left his hand in yours even as he started driving. It was silent for a while. Since it was going to be kind of a long drive, you didn't want it to stay quiet. That would give you too much of a chance of getting lost in your thoughts. So you turned back to Hotch, “Let’s talk about something.” Aaron quickly glances at you with an eyebrow raised, “What’s strategy should we go in with?” You laughed when Aaron went right into talking about work, “Nope, we aren't going to talk about work. Not right now.” Aaron flatly states, “We are on the clock.” You roll your eyes, “We've never needed a strategy while interrogating together before.” You lean your head back, “Plus, what kind of work are we supposed to do in a car for like three hours?” Hotch glares over at you. You respond with a whine, “Please just indulge me… the person you happen to be dating by the way…” Aaron’s face softens even as he rolls his eyes, “Resorting to emotional blackmail?” You nod and give him a smug smile, “Anything to get my way.”  
Aaron chuckles, shaking his head, “What would you like to talk about then?” You let out a pleased hum, “We should go see a movie soon, take Jack with us and completely turn our phones off. Maybe even leave them at home or in the car, so we don't get called in…” You let yourself trail off. Aaron’s hand tightens around yours, showing some concern. You look out the window, watching the scenery as you add, “Maybe we could take a vacation… somewhere fun…” You can feel his eyes watching you, so you turn to look at him, “What?” Aaron tries to study your face while still driving safely. After a moment, he finally speaks up, “Coming from the person who was so intent on going back to work after being shot that the hospital practically begged me to get you out of there? I think you can understand my cause for concern.” You sigh and nod, “Well, I’m a work-a-holic…” You smile, “But… Since being in a relationship with you, I find it a lot easier to push work aside so I can be with you and Jack.” A smile spreads across Aaron’s face. You playfully roll your eyes, “Don’t let it go to your head. I still enjoy catching bad guys, and I don’t see that drastically changing anytime soon.” Aaron brings your hand up to his face to place a kiss on the back of your hand, “I wouldn't have it any other way.” You smile as you and Aaron start talking about mundane potential plans.  
Whatever pleasant conversion you were having with Hotch abruptly stopped when you saw the sign on the side of the road, stating that the prison was only a few miles away. Even if you wanted to continue talking, you couldn't have. Considering your mind went completely blank about what you had just been discussing. Your whole body tenses up, feeling the meeting looming over your head. Your leg starts to bounce. Letting your anxiety out now so you can focus when you get inside the prison. When Hotch parks, your hand separates from his. You practically leap out of the car. Taking a deep breath of fresh air in order to calm yourself. Hotch walks over and waits, letting you take your time. You close your eyes. Pushing all your emotions down and bringing your professional demeanor to the surface. Once you feel as prepared as you’ll ever be, you head up to the prison's main door. You can't help but comment, “I don't understand Ben Monte’s obsession with us.” Hotch follows behind and scoffs, “Unfortunately, he just has an obsession with you. He tolerates me because he knows I won't let you talk to him alone.” You sigh, knowing Hotch was right. Once through the door, you are the one who takes the lead on the introductions, “SSA’s [Y/L/N] and Hotchner.” The guards look over the sheet checking for your names. You start pulling the gun off your belt before they even ask, knowing the drill. Hotch does the same, even taking his second gun out and handing it over.  
You felt a bit exposed and vulnerable, but you didn't let yourself dwell on it. Hotch already looked more tense than usual, which was saying something. The guards guided you through the signals to get in and out of the room you would be interviewing Ben Monte in. Once that was understood, both you and Hotch were led into the room. As soon as you saw Ben’s face, you internally started panicking, but you knew how to control every expression and your demeanor. So you kept yourself in check. The door closed behind you both, locking the three of you into a room together.  
Instantly Ben Monte lurched towards you, his chains getting caught on the table, “My, My. Look at you. My favorite little canvas.” You stare Ben down, showing only indifference at his statement. You pull the chair at the table out and sit down, “I’m not here to play games… You said you had information for us. If you're wasting my time, then I will leave.” Hotch was standing behind you, glaring down at Ben. Ben looked from Hotch to you, “Ohh… I have so much information for you, but I’ve missed you so much. I’ve only had crime articles you were featured in to sustain me. They don’t take enough pictures of you. I’ve only been able to collect maybe a handful. I like to keep you close to me.” Ben reaches towards you, trying to touch you. You firmly respond, “No.” Ben freezes before pulling back, “You’re such a tease. Only showing me a little blood and then throwing me in here.” You continue your blank stare, “Information or I walk.” Ben grumbles, shifting about in his chair, “You are no fun.” When Ben starts giving you usable information, Hotch sits next to you and takes notes.  
Ben stays mostly on topic until he starts talking about what he did to the victim. Ben looks you dead in the eyes, “With that little work of art, I worked too fast. Wasn't as fun.” Ben grins at you, showing all his teeth menacingly, “I learned after that. Taking my time. Like I am with you.” Every part of you wants to tense up and hit Ben in the face, but you control yourself. Ben keeps talking, “I have so many plans for you. Peeling your skin away nice and slow. Maybe even giving it time to grow back. Scars can be exciting things…” Ben lets himself trail off, staring right where he shot you. Hotch tenses up, staring daggers at the serial killer in front of you. You sigh, “This is tedious Ben, if you really called us out here to just play with us, then I will make sure you aren't allowed visitors for the rest of your life.” Ben glares at you this time, “I like the mouth on you, but it only goes so far. Do you think you could still bitch this much if I cut your tongue out?” Hotch speaks up for the first time during the interview, “You will watch how you speak to my agent. We are here as a courtesy to the families of your victims. Not to be part of whatever sick fantasies you have.” Hotch’s voice was loud and stern, intimidating enough to get Ben to comply again. Ben begrudgingly gives you more details about a few other murders he committed.  
After giving you some more useful information, Ben slowly gets off topic again, “I've never been one for guns. You're the only work of art I’ve ever shot.” You glare at Ben, “I’m not a work of art, and neither were your victims. You don't own or control anyone.” Ben starts laughing, “Are you sure about that? Maybe I don't own my other playthings… but you… I think me and you share a special connection.” You scoff, rolling your eyes, “We don’t have a connection. You're not the first person who has shot me, and I am sure you won't be the last.” Ben laughs louder, utterly pleased with himself, “I am sure that's true, but me and you share a mark.” Ben doesn’t elaborate further but instead goes into talking about other things, “After you locked me into this place, I’ve had loads of time to think about what I would do to you when I get out of here.” This actually pulls a laugh out of you, “You’re not getting out of here… ever.” You cross your arms, smirking, “I made sure the court gave you life without parole.” Ben doesn’t look overly pleased about your attitude, but that doesn’t stop him from continuing, “I was thinking about cutting you open and poking around inside you.” You show no expression, trying not to think about what Ben says, “Are you done telling me about your other victims then?” Ben doesn't answer. He just continues his psychopathic rambling, “Think you would feel it if I pulled some of your insides to the outside?” Ben went into further detail, being graphically descriptive as he kept going. You felt your stomach churn even as you stared Ben down like you weren’t affected.  
Hotch, however, was finished with the games, “That's enough. We are done here.” Hotch stands up quickly, pushing himself away from the table and going to the door. You make no additional acknowledgment to Ben. You just casually raise from your seat and walk to the door. Hotch presses the button to get out. The tone plays, and you wait. Nothing happens. Ben starts laughing again, clapping as he does, “It’s lunchtime. The guard who is supposed to be out there has a real problem of being a chatty Cathy after he gets his food. So you're both stuck with me a while longer.” Hotch tenses up again but turns around ever so slowly, “Is that supposed to scare us? We have dealt with much worse than you.” Ben shrugs, “It should at least unnerve you both. Since I get to keep talking about what I want to do with our favorite little agent.” You turn around, ready to speak up, but then you notice Hotch’s behavior. Hotch went from tense to calm, which wasn't a great sign.  
Hotch confidently takes his suit jacket off, before pulling off his necktie in one solid motion. He stands on the outskirts of the room, watching protectively. Hotch stares down Ben the whole time. You couldn't lie to yourself, Hotch’s overly aggressive behavior did make you feel better. Aaron would have never let anything happen to you before when you were just co-workers and friends, but now that you were more than that, there was no way in hell Aaron was going to sit by and watch someone treat you like this. Ben was still smirking and didn't even bother looking at Hotch. Ben just kept looking right at you, “Do you remember when I shot you?” You look at Ben and shrug at him, “It wasn't really that memorable. I’ve been shot before, so you shooting me isn't anything special.” Ben menacingly chuckles, “I remember every second of it. You bleed so well.” Hotch steps closer to him, ready to restrain Ben if need be. He tilts his head, gazing right through your shirt to the spot of the scar he gave you, “I only wish I could have watched for longer…” Ben looks back up at you, “It was hard to manage in prison, but I was able to give myself a little souvenir…” Ben stands up. Hotch, in one quick motion, pins Ben to the wall. Hotch had Ben held to the wall with his forearm on Ben’s throat. Hotch practically growls as he speaks, “I’ve had enough of you threatening my agent.” Ben seemed to enjoy Hotch’s reaction causing him to laugh.  
Ben’s laugh was a spine chilling sound. It didn't help that it echoed in the concrete interrogation room. Hotch kept Ben in place, but that didn't stop Ben’s hands from moving. You quickly stood up, ready to help restrain the monster if he tried anything. Ben, however, had another plan in mind. A huge toothy grin spreads over Ben’s face as he lifts the fabric for his prisoner uniform shirt. Revealing practically a mirror image of your own scar on Ben’s body. Your blood turned to ice, and you couldn’t control the fact that your eyes widened. Ben reminisced and traced his fingers over his scar, “It took a lot of effort to get a gun from one of the guards and shoot myself. It was worth it, though…” Ben looks up with his eyes meeting yours, “Now we are connected…” Your so far maintained composure started to shatter. Hotch pushed his arm harder against Ben’s throat. You dug your fingernails into the palms of your hand, hoping it will help keep you grounded as you spoke, “We are not connected. Clearly, you put a lot of thought into wasting your time.”  
The best you could do was temporarily dissociate with what was happening, so you didn't give Ben the satisfaction of your emotional response. You stare blankly at the prisoner pinned to the wall, “Prison hasn't been good for your memory… That’s not even where you shot me.” It was a bold-faced lie, but it had the desired effect. Ben’s grin falls off his face, and he glares at you, “Prove it.” You stick your hands into your pockets, scoffing, “I don’t have to prove anything to the likes of you… I already proved you were guilty in a court of law. That's good enough for me.” You are able to force a smile onto your face. This causes Ben to get belligerent, starting to fight against Hotch’s hold. Hotch doesn't flinch and keeps Ben in place. Ben keeps struggling, “Show me then! Prove it!” You didn't know how much longer you could keep the act up, so you decided to give the exit door another shot. You press the buzzer and hear the sound, waiting a moment.  
By some miracle, the guard had come back. The guard looked more than confused, “What the hell happened?” You moved out the door without saying another word. You hear Hotch drop Ben to the ground. Immediately Ben starts screaming, and the guard has to restrain Ben. Hearing Ben’s chains yank against the table, “SHOW ME! PROVE IT!” Ben Monte kept repeating this. Even after the room door closed, you could still hear his voice through the walls. Hotch stays behind for a moment, and you overhear him yelling at someone, “Get your damn employees in line. When two agents… fuck when anyone is in a room with a prisoner, you NEVER leave that room unsupervised!” You stopped at a gated checkpoint to wait for Hotch while listening to what was going on. There was a short pause which could only be for the person making an excuse. Because Hotch went right back to yelling, “Do. I. Make. Myself. Clear?” There was another pause before Hotch spat out, “Good.” Then you heard him walking down the hall. While you were waiting, that’s when you first noticed it, the dull pain in your side. You press the heel of your hand into your scar in hopes of stopping the pain somehow. You look back when you hear Hotch walking up to you. Hotch still looked stiff, with his suit jacket and tie thrown over one of his arms. The crumpling pad of paper in his hand showed that Hotch was beyond pissed, but when he saw you were looking at him, he automatically softened up.  
While waiting for the guard on the other side of the gate to let you through, Aaron looked down at you, “Are you okay?” You stared at him for a moment, “I don’t know how to answer that right now.” It came out in a much flatter and distant tone then you had planned. You felt a bit numb like you hadn’t fully processed what you just experienced. So you didn’t know how you felt. The only thing you knew for sure was that no matter how much pressure you put on your scar, the pain was getting worse. Aaron further furrowed his brows, and he tried to gauge your overall well being. The automatic door swung open and you walked through it before Aaron had too much of a chance to study you.  
The rest of the walkout was silent until you reached the last checkpoint where you could collect your guns before leaving. While the guard was giving you back your items, Aaron stopped before collecting his, “I need to go talk to the warden.” Even feeling as weird as you did, you knew Aaron shouldn’t need to talk to the warden. It didn’t take long for you to figure out Aaron was trying to protect you from further dealings with Ben Monte. Aaron was about to order the warden to ignore any future requests from Ben Monte to speak with you. So you look over and question him, “Why?” Instead of answering, Aaron tries to hand you the car keys. You don’t take them. You narrow your eyes at Aaron, but he doesn’t say anything. So you begrudgingly take the keys. When Aaron walks down the hallway, you wait for a minute before following him. You stay outside the warden’s office door. It could be considered eavesdropping, but it pertains to you and your job, so you didn’t see it as a bad thing.  
You could hear the conversation through the walls. Hotch spoke first, “Starting today, you will be restricting Ben Monte’s media access. No more crime articles. Certainly, no information about the BAU. He said he has pictures of Agent [Y/L/N]. Find them. Make sure he is never able to get ahold of anything like that ever again.” You were glad about that part. Knowing Ben had pictures of you made your skin crawl. The warden responds, taken aback, “I… I’ll get that taken care of right away. Were you able to get any useful information out of him?” The pain in your side ramps up, causing you to wince. Hotch responds, “Maybe. We will have to look into it.” There is a short pause, “I will no longer let the BAU answer any requests to speak with Ben Monte. His obsession with my agent has been out of hand for long enough. Ben sees it as a reward of some kind. Strauss will be informed of the situation. Don’t even think about trying to go over my head again.” The warden stumbles over an apology of some kind before they can say anything else Hotch leaves. Hotch sees you and sighs, “You were supposed to go to the car.” You scoff and roll your eyes, “It involved my career, so I was going to listen in. Also, you know I’m a stubborn ass and have issues doing what I’m told.” This was able to pull the slightest smile out of Aaron. It doesn’t last long as he quickly spotted both your hand holding your side and the slight wince still on your face. The worried look falls back onto Aarons’s face.  
Despite your surroundings, Aaron gently grabs the back of your neck. He leans down and pulls you closer to him, planting a kiss on your forehead. Surprisingly he holds you there for a second. You close your eyes, allowing yourself to relax a little bit. Some of the previous emotional numbness starts to leave you. Your body lets you become more emotionally vulnerable since you felt safe with Aaron. Feeling yourself go into the early stages of crying, you gently pull away. Aaron lets you go. Blinking rapidly, you were able to stop yourself from crying for the moment. The grimace that covered Aaron’s face was a giveaway that he saw the emotions on your face, not that you were doing particularly well at hiding them. Aaron gives you a gentle nudge so you can both finally leave this horrible place. You head out to the car while Aaron gets his firearms back from the guards.  
Your subconscious mind seemed to know that prisons were a work area, so you had to control your emotions, but outside was a whole other story. As soon as you step outside the threshold, a new wave of emotions hit you. Your subconscious completely shuts down the emotional barrier that was letting you stay professional. The first feeling that hit you was nausea. You quickly get away from the prison before moving around the corner of a building so you could have a sliver of privacy. You were able to keep the nausea at bay. That was until you remembered the fact that you now had a brand linking you to Ben Monte. That’s when you lost it. You could handle a lot of the job. You had handled so much, but this made you feel violated. You got sick right then, bracing yourself on the wall. It took a few minutes for your body to stop. When your body ceases shaking, you stand there for a moment to regain your baring and catch your breath. Looking yourself over, you were lucky enough not to have gotten anything on you. You spit a few times to try to get the taste out of your mouth. You wanted out of here. You wanted to shower for more reasons than one. You turned the corner and saw Aaron automatically watching you as he stood by the car. You were catching the tail end of a conversation Aaron was having on the phone.  
Aaron’s eyes followed you, “It was worse than I anticipated.” There was a pause, and you walked around to one of the car's back doors, opening it. Crossing your fingers that you had your go-bag in the vehicle. Aaron let out a sigh, “If you guys have the case handled, I don’t think I’ll be bringing them into work today. They need some time off.” You peaked up and glared at Aaron. He was still monitoring you through the car windows. You roll your eyes and finally find your bag, pulling it to you to dig through it. Aaron gives a slight nod as he responds, “Of course, I’ll stay with them to make sure they are alright.” You find what you were searching for, your bag of toiletries. You pull out your travel toothbrush and toothpaste and start brushing the awful acidy taste out of your mouth. Aaron keeps talking on the phone for a moment. You finish up by using your travel-sized bottle of mouthwash to rinse out your mouth. Spitting it out when you’re finished. You get into the passenger seat. Aaron was still on the phone and kept watching you. You glared at him as he did, but Aaron was utterly unfazed by it. When he finished talking, he got right into the car.  
You immediately argued with him, “Aaron, I am not going to sit at my house while you and the team go and do work.” You sigh, “I will go stir crazy.” Aaron looked very unamused, “You need to take some time off. At least a day. I would prefer you to take more off.” You glare at him, “I am fine to go back to work. It wasn’t that bad. I don’t need any time off.” You were already more agitated than usual, and you knew it. But sitting at home by yourself with only your thoughts sounded like pure torture. Aaron stares you down, the stern face he normally wears at work showing, “You are taking today off.” You grumble, “Is that an order?” Hotch nods, “Yes.” He answers in a very stern tone, not leaving a whole lot of room for argument. You knew you were being entirely unreasonable, but that didn’t stop you, “As my boss or as my boyfriend?” Hotch closes his eyes and pinches the bridge of his nose, “Both.” Aaron sighs before looking at you with soft eyes, “Please.” You had more fight in you, but seeing Aaron’s face made you readily concede. You nod and huff, “Fine.” Moving in your seat and looking out the window. Silence filled the air as Aaron turned on the car and started driving.  
Aaron didn’t let it stay silent for too long. Knowing you well enough that you would retreat into your head if it was quiet for too long. So Aaron was the first to speak up, “You know, I never said I was taking you to your place.” You had zoned out. His voice had pulled you back into reality. Not catching his whole sentence, you look over at Aaron and ask, “What?” Aaron looks at you, the ghost of a smile on his face, “I didn’t plan on taking you back at your apartment.” You make a confused face, which turns to annoyance. You immediately get belligerent again, “Ohh, yes, because sitting alone at your apartment would be so much better than sitting alone at my apartment.” Aaron glared at you, his annoyance starting to show again. You wish you could have said this was the first time you two talked to each other like this. It was admittedly one of the reasons you both got along so well. A pair of hard-headed assholes who could yell at each other without too many hard feelings. You glared right back at Aaron, “I appreciate the thought, I suppose, but I might as well just be at my place if I’m going to be all alone anyway.” Aaron’s glare intensifies, “Like I would leave you to your own devices even if I wanted to right now.” You narrow your eyes at him, trying to figure out what he means, “Isn't that what you were just saying?” Aaron’s voice became more stern, even raising his voice, “Would you just listen to me?” You let out a defiant huff but stay quiet. Aaron keeps the stern tone but lowers the volume, “You will be coming to stay at my apartment, AND I’ll be there with you.” Now you were a bit surprised, “You would ditch work just to babysit me?” Aaron’s face softens, “I wouldn’t call it babysitting. Offering emotional support, maybe?” You frown, “You’re not worried about someone on the team connecting the dots?” Aaron shrugs, “Actually Rossi brought up the idea first when I told him about the situation.” You whine and sigh, “How much did you tell Rossi?” Aaron glances over at you, “Enough.” You let out another whine and sink into your seat. Aaron watches you for a moment, “The team is worried about you. They care about you.” Being immature became one of your defaults when you were emotionally drained. So you made a fake disgusted noise, “Gross, feelings.” Aaron lets out a slight chuckle, “I care about you too.” You let a small smile slide onto your face, “That’s less gross.” Aaron adjusts his hands so he can drive with one hand on the steering wheel while his other hand reached over to you.  
You took Aaron’s hand in yours. He gave it a comforting squeeze before getting serious again, “I’m going to have to write a report about what happened.” You groan, “Break the rules just this once? Pretend it never happened?” You knew Aaron would never, but you wanted to playfully give it a shot at least. Aaron shakes his head, “Unfortunately not. Especially since I am going to have to convince Strauss never to send us to see Ben Monte again.” At the mention of his name, you tense up. It wasn’t hard for Aaron to notice, your hand had tightened around his. Aaron gives you a worried look, “We should talk about what happened.” You groan, not wanting to but also knowing you need to. You give in, wanting to get this over with, “Will I be telling this to my boyfriend or my boss?” Aaron looks down at you for a moment, “Your boyfriend.” Aaron gives your hand another squeeze, “I’ll keep anything you tell me out of the report.” Aaron lets out a sigh before adding, “Unless it's something that could compromise your safety or others while you’re on the job.” You nod. Understanding that Aaron couldn’t bend the rules that much just for you and you were completely fine with that. You look out the window, “I know I shouldn’t be this affected by him, he only shot me. I feel like I have dealt with a lot worse. I feel stupid for letting him affect me this much.” Aaron starts running his thumb over the back of your hand, “You’re not stupid. He is overly obsessed with you. That can be very alarming.” Aaron lets out a long sigh, causing you to look over at him. Aaron had a sad look on his face, “Even before Foyet broke into my apartment and…” Aaron let it trail off, letting out another sigh. He skipped over whatever he was about to say to continue with the rest of it, “I was anticipating him making a move at any time. Knowing that someone like that is so fixated on you is not easy to handle mentally.” Aaron glances down at you, your eyes meeting for a moment, “I didn’t admit it to anyone even myself at the time, but it sure as hell affected me. I was only able to keep so much of it under control.” This time you give Aaron’s hand a squeeze returning the gesture he gave you earlier. Emotions were neither you nor Aaron’s strong suits, but you did find it much easier to be open around him. You’d like to think he felt the same way about talking to you as well.  
Talking about Ben Monte made your old wound hurt. You just brushed it off as a subconscious correlation. Aaron seemed more worried about it, “You should get it checked out by a doctor.” You make a face, “It’s fine. I know it's just a mental reaction.” Aaron shook his head, “I think it's much more than a subconscious reaction, it had been hurting you since before we got to the prison.” You wave your hand at Aaron, ignoring him. You change the subject, “What I need is a shower and a change of clothes.” Aaron lets out a slightly annoyed sigh but lets you avoid the matter, “We will be home shortly.” You give Aarons hand another squeeze, “Good.” You let it stay quiet for a minute, “When you pick Jack up from school, let's do something fun.” Aaron glances over at you, “What are you thinking?” You shrug, “Anything to forget about today…” You think for a minute, “What about dessert for dinner and a lazy movie night?” Aaron narrows his eyes at you, “Dessert as the main meal?” You could tell he was going to shoot it down, so you decided to take the low road. You pout, “Please? It's been a really tough day. And imagine how cute Jack’s face will be when we tell him.” Aaron glares at you, “Really?” You stick your bottom lip out to pout more. Aaron shakes his head, a smirk on his face, “Fine. But…” You narrow your eyes at him suspiciously. Aaron adds, “Only if make an appointment with your doctor.” You grumble but accept it, “That seems about fair.” You smile at Aaron before falling into ideal chit-chat for the rest of the drive.  
The car had to be dropped back off at the Bureau, but Aaron was kind enough to drop you off at his apartment first so you could shower. The time you spent alone was only twenty minutes, but it was enough time for the dark thoughts you had been suppressing to come back to the surface. It didn’t help that your scar practically taunted you the whole time you were showering. The healed skin was a mirror of what Ben had done to himself, creating a twisted connection with you. Sure, you had lied to Ben and taken away his satisfaction of being connected to you, but you knew the truth. You took a long shower, trying to wash away the sickening feeling that lingered over you. It only helped a little but not enough to lift the weight you felt in your chest. You got out of the shower and lazily dried off. You were more than ready to get dressed. Then you caught a glimpse of your scar in the mirror. It completely stopped you. You got stuck staring at your old injury, running your fingers over it as you tried to figure out what to do. You didn’t want it to look the same. You wanted to change it.  
You got more absorbed into that train of thought then you would care to admit because you didn’t hear Aaron get back home or even hear him open the bathroom door. Aaron’s voice pulled you out of your own head, “Please don’t.” You startle for a moment before glaring over at him, “Don’t what?” You wrap your towel around yourself again and push past him. Aaron gives you a bit of space even as he keeps an eye on you, “I know what you’re thinking.” You were still on edge, so you just scoffed and started getting dressed. Aaron continues, “I can’t stop you. At least don’t do it yourself.” You huff and tug on your pajama pants, “Don’t do what myself? I wasn’t thinking about anything.” Aaron sighs and crosses his arms, “You were thinking about ‘correcting’ the look of the scar yourself.” He was dead on which shouldn’t have surprised you, but it still stopped you for a second. You shook your head before starting to pull your shirt over your head. In an attempt to ignore the fact he was right, you stayed quiet and turned away. It doesn’t take long for Aaron to walk up behind you and wrap his arms around you. He pulls you into him, “I don’t want you to cause any more damage to yourself.” You sigh and lean back into him. Closing your eyes tight to hold in your emotions as you nod. Aaron kisses the top of your head, “Let’s go relax and forget about this for the moment.” You offer another nod. Aaron gently lets go of you, and you wipe away wherever tears were forming in your eyes. Aaron starts changing, and you take this opportunity to pour both of you a drink. By the time you got back out to the living room, Aaron was already sitting on the couch, watching something on tv. You set his drink down for him. Then you proceed to drape yourself over him pathetically. Straddling his lap as you sat down, leaning into his chest. Aaron just wrapped his arms around you and let you stay there as you lazily sipped at your drink. You stayed like that for a few hours until it was time for Jack to get off school. You kissed him before peeling yourself off of Aaron. Flopping back onto the couch so Aaron could grab his son. You lazily watched tv finally feeling more relaxed after spending some time with Aaron. When you heard the front door unlocking, you immediately perked up.  
As soon as Jack ran into the house and saw you, all the events of the day seemed like a distant memory. Jack tackled you with a hug, excited that you were here. You found yourself smiling again as you and Aaron talked with the little boy about how his day was and what he learned. You broke the surprise to Jack about dessert for dinner. Jack was practically bouncing with excitement at the news. After dishing out healthy bowls of ice cream for all three of you, it was time to sit on the couch. It was such a lovely time as the three of you enjoyed each other’s company. Typically Jack always curled up with his father when he got tired, but as the night wound down this time, Jack came over to you. Jack climbed onto you and cuddled up with you. You looked down at him and held him close, rubbing his back as he started to drift off. For the first time today, you felt yourself getting emotional for a good reason. You slowly moved, so you were resting against Aaron. Aaron wrapped an arm protectively over the two of you, and you felt an overwhelming feeling of comfort and safety. The three of you sat like this for a few more hours until it was officially late enough to go to bed. You gently woke up Jack and helped him get ready for bed. Once Aaron had tucked Jack into bed, both you and Aaron went to lay down yourselves. You laid down, and Aaron wrapped his arms around you, pulling you in close to him again. Feeling safe and secure, you were able to fall asleep with much more ease then you thought.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Mentions of being shot, mentions of blood, nightmares. Other than that none really? Emotions and some feels maybe?
> 
> A small issue arises and you end up getting to spend the whole day with Jack.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Left completely gender-neutral. This chapter does not have a whole lot of Aaron in it, but I’m not even gonna apologize. Jack is adorable and when dating someone with a child the kid is just as important in a serious relationship. I’ve never written this much with a child involved so hopefully Jack is written well, feel free to tell me if it didn't turn out well.

Running. You were running for your life. Your lungs burned, and you could feel your muscles about to give out. The tightness in your chest was made worse by the bulletproof vest you had strapped on. Trees surrounded you. The forest only got thicker the more you ran. Gunshots rang out around you. You could feel every bullet rush past you, able to feel the wind from each shot's force. The unsubs were relentless. You knew if you stopped, you would be dead. You reached for your phone, but all you found was an empty pocket. You could have sworn you just had it in your pocket. If you weren't in the middle of a life or death situation, you would have thought about it longer. You needed all your brainpower to focus on getting out of this situation. The forest was getting impossibly crowded. To the point, you couldn't run anymore and had to struggle through the brush quickly. You didn't know how many unsubs there were, but you could hear every single one of them catching up to you. Pushing as far through the foliage as you could until the branches and leaves were packed so tight it was like hitting a wall. You were suffocatingly enclosed within the trees.  
You fell hard. Immediately you flipped over, so you were facing the direction the unsubs were coming from. That's when things got weird. You weren’t in the forest anymore. The trees you just pushed through transformed into a poorly lit street of some kind. The mud and grass you had fallen onto turned into pavement. Moving yourself backward with your shoes' heels and the palms of your hands, your mind racing. You tried to figure out what was going on. Looking down, you saw that your bulletproof vest was gone. None of this made sense anymore. Your back hit a brick wall. An unsub walked enough into the light that you could see his face. It was Ben Monte. That's when it hit you. You remembered this encounter. This isn’t how it happened. Ben crept closer to you. He had shot you, but the team was nearby when he did. Ben never actually got this close to you. The sharp pain ran through your side, and you grabbed it. You lifted your hand so you could see the blood on your fingers. Ben had a menacingly, excited smile carved into his face. You pinched your eyes closed so tightly it hurt. You had lived through this already. This isn’t what occurred after he shot you. The team was there, and they took Ben down before he ever got close enough to do anything else. You tried to calm yourself down. You now knew this was a dream, but the pain felt real. Ben’s footsteps got closer and closer. You were ready to end this nightmare. Since your body was refusing to wake you up, you reached for your gun. Which you only found an empty holster further confirming this was a nightmare. Even with your eyes closed, you could feel Ben looming over you. The only thing you could hear over the pounding of your own heart was the gunshot that rang out. Followed by another sharp pain that went through the place you had already been shot.  
You lurched out of bed as you woke up. Pain shot through your side as you were left hot and panting. Your hands were trembling. Logically you knew that your gunshot wound had long since turned into a scar, but you still reached to touch it. You were on the verge of hyperventilating as you brought your fingers up to look at them. When you see your skin free of blood, you let out an extended breath. That’s when you were finally able to start breathing normally. Your hand instinctively went back to your old wound, putting pressure on it. There was a kind of phantom pain coming from it as you steady your breathing. All your senses started to work again, and you realized Aaron was watching you. You had no idea how long he had been observing you or trying to talk to you. His voice came into focus, “Are you okay?” You just stared at him, unable to think of a response at the moment. His voice was rough from sleep. The windows were still dark. These nightmares had been going on since your ‘visit’ with Ben Monte, which was over a week ago. An exhausted sigh left you. You bring your knees up to your chest and just nod. Aaron furrowed his brow, not believing you. He put his hand on your back and started comfortingly rubbing. You sat there until you couldn't hear your heartbeat thumping away in your ears.  
Aaron’s hand never left your back. You finally collected yourself enough to speak, “What time is it?” You moved just enough to reach for your phone without moving out of the range of Aaron’s touch. As soon as you get ahold of your phone, Aaron pulls you over to him, “Early.” You let him lead you backward. You quickly check the time. Even with the brightness down, it still seemed blinding. Glancing at the screen just long enough to see the time. There was only about an hour before you both had to officially wake up to get ready for work. You groan and roll over, draping yourself over Aaron. He wraps his arms around you. You close your eyes, planning on just staying here until it's time to get up. Aaron breaks the early morning quiet, “Take the day off.” You wiggle and move so you can rest your chin on his chest and look up at him. You glare at him, “Nope.” Aaron’s eyes were closed, but you could tell he was rolling them, “You haven’t slept well in days.” You grumble and shake your head, “I am fine. I’ve been sleeping more than enough.” Aaron finally opens his eyes and glares back at you, “You need to rest.” You ignore him and prop yourself up. Moving so you are straddling and hovering over him. Aaron keeps his brows furrowed as he looks up at you. You smile and lean down, kissing him deeply. He kisses you back, resting his hands on your sides.  
You pull away from the kiss so you can talk, “We have some time before we have to start getting ready.” You grin down at Aaron. He stares you down, “I am not going to be encouraging your bad habits.” You huff sit back, placing your hands on his chest, “Isn’t it a little too late for that?” Aaron keeps his stern look but only for a few seconds before he starts chuckling, “Fine. I am not going to further encourage your bad habits.” You can’t help but start laughing. Aaron gets an ornery look on his face, “If you decided to stay home from work today, I’d be willing to ‘encourage’ that.” He runs his hands up your sides. You shiver slightly from his touch. Once you’re finished, you smirk at Aaron before leaning down to whisper in his ear, “You wish it were that easy.” You plant a kiss on Aaron’s cheek before you roll off of him. Landing back onto your side of the bed. He chuckles again, “I had to try.” You get off the mattress, “It was a good effort.” Pausing to stretch, letting out a groan. You dig through your clothes as you add, “If I weren’t so stubborn, it would have worked.” Aaron chuckles as he gets up and starts getting ready as well.  
After you get dressed in your work clothes, you go out to the kitchen to turn on the coffee machine. You could feel how exhausted you were, but sitting at home alone would be miserable. Rubbing your eyes to try to help wake yourself up. You hear Jack walking into the kitchen closely followed by Aaron. You turn around to see that Jack is still in his pajamas. Aaron finishes tying his tie as he looks down at his son, “Hey buddy, you gotta go get ready for school.” Jack looks up at his dad, confused, “No school today.” Aaron squints at Jack, trying to understand, “There’s no school today?” Jack nods. The coffee dings, signaling that it’s ready. You pour a cup for both you and Aaron. Aaron looks over to a small paper calendar attached to his fridge before making a face. You hear Aaron mumble, “Shit.” You can’t help but chuckle at the slight panic setting into your usually composed boyfriend and boss. Aaron hears you and immediately glares at you. This only makes you chuckle more, and you poorly try to hide it behind your coffee mug. Aaron redirects his attention back to Jack, sighing, “I am really sorry that I forgot you didn’t have school today, Jack.” Jack smiles and hugs his dad, “It’s okay daddy, accidents happen.” You can’t help but smile at the cute pair. Aaron picks up Jack and kisses him on the forehead before carrying Jack to the couch. Aaron turns on the tv before heading back into the kitchen.  
Aaron returns to glaring at you, “What do you look so pleased about?” He sounds borderline annoyed with you. You laugh before scrunching up your nose, “Is there a reason I shouldn't be amused?” Aaron pulls out his phone, “It’s kind of a serious situation.” You roll your eyes as you take a sip of coffee, “It would be serious if you weren’t overthinking it so much.” He watches you for a moment before looking back down at his phone, “I’m going to be late, so you should go on ahead.” You don’t move, taking your time to enjoy your coffee. When Aaron starts dialing a number, that's when you speak up, “Don’t call Jess.” Aaron stops and turns his scowl towards you again. Before he can say anything, you add, “Aaron take a deep breath and use your Unit Chief brain for a moment.” Aaron watches you for a moment. Clearly, the fatherly pressure he put on himself had clouded his thinking process more than you thought. It took him a minute to realize the conclusion you were trying to lead him too. His face softens drastically before he finally replies, “I thought you said you didn't want to stay home today.” You shrug and smile at him, “Well, that was when I was going to be all on my lonesome.” Aaron lets out a long sigh of relief. He finally relaxes enough to grab his coffee. Aaron teased, “So you weren't willing to take a day off for me, but you're willing to take one off for Jack?” You laugh, “It's not like that.” Aaron raises his eyebrows curiously as he drinks his coffee. You chuckle before explaining, “Taking a day off for your or Jack’s health or overall wellbeing? I’m willing to whenever need be. Taking a day off for my own health and wellbeing? Eww, never.” Aaron rolls his eyes, shaking his head at you. You grin and step closer to him, kissing him as soon as his lips are free.  
Even though you had been drinking your own coffee, the bitter taste of black coffee hit you again as you kissed Aaron. After a few seconds, you pull away, not wanting it to get too heated. You smirk at Aaron before backing away, “Don’t want you to be late for work.” Aaron groans as he longingly glances from you over to Jack, who is cutely curled up on the couch watching tv, “Do you think the team would notice if I took the day off too?” He already knew the answer. You give him a loving pat on the back, “Unfortunately, they would notice.” You think for a moment, letting out a hum, “I’ll make you a deal.” Aaron turns his attention back to you. You offer a sweet smile, “I’ll send pictures of Jack and me throughout the day.” Aaron lets a small smile spread over his face. He grabs the back of your neck, gently pulling you closer so he can kiss your forehead. You close your eyes and happily lean into it. Aaron whispers against your skin, “Thank you.” You give a small nod, “Anytime.” Unsurprisingly this short moment, like so many others, was interrupted by Aaron’s phone ringing. He pulled away and answered the call, “Hotchner.” There is a pause as the person on the other end probably explains some gruesome, awful thing that happened. His brow was already furrowed. Aaron nods along as he listens, “I’m on my way in now.” Aaron hangs up and finishes his coffee quickly. He already looked tenser than he did a moment ago. Before he walks away, you grab his wrist, “Hey, try to sneakily get the whole team some vacation time, and the three of us can go on a secret getaway.” Aaron stops and thinks for a moment. He nods, “I think I can do that.” You smile and give Aaron one last quick kiss before nudging him to get ready. You lean against the counter for a few seconds, mostly to stay out of Aaron’s way so he can rush around without an issue.  
After a few moments, you go and walk into the living room, sitting with Jack. You gently tussle his hair, “Would it be okay if I spent the day with you, Jack?” The boy looks away from the tv to look at you. Jack's eyes were big, bright, and happy, “Really?” You smile back at him, “Mhm, me and you can hang out all day and do whatever you want.” Jack excitedly wiggles until he is fully sitting up. He goes to hug you tight. You hug him back. Aaron walks back through the living room, grabbing his briefcase. Jack turns to look at his dad, “Did you hear? [Y/N] is gonna play with me today.” Aaron smiles at Jack, “I did. I’m jealous that I am going to miss out on all the fun.” Aaron fumbles with his keys before walking over to the couch. He places one of his keys down on the table, “That's my apartment key so you both can safely go out if you want.” You smile and nod. Aaron crouches down and hugs Jack, “I will be back as soon as I can.” Jack hugs his father back. Aaron pulls away, placing a kiss on Jack’s cheek, “Have fun, I love you, buddy.” Jack laughs happily, “Love you too, daddy.” Aaron gets up and goes to the door. Both you and Jack wave goodbye to Aaron as he hurries out the door.  
When it was just you and Jack, you stood up, “Let me change out of my work clothes, and then we can do whatever you want, Okay?” Jack gives you a happy nod as he goes back to watching cartoons. You slip away back into Aaron’s bedroom so you can change into casual clothes. Once finished, you walk back out into the living room. Jack had returned to curling up on the couch as he watched the tv. You walk over and sit next to him, “What do you want to do?” Jack looks at you and makes a noise, “I don't know…” You gently rub his back and smile at him, “No rush. How about you keep watching tv and I’ll make us some breakfast?” Jack smiles and nods. You slip into the kitchen and look through the fridge, grabbing the things you need. Settling on bacon and eggs. Once you’re done cooking, you serve it up and bring a plate over to Jack, “Carefully, honey. It's still pretty hot.” Jack sits up and gives you a nod while he looks down at his plate. You set your plate to the side and go back into the kitchen to clean up after yourself.  
While cleaning up, you notice Jack getting a sad look on his face. You frown, “Everything okay, Jack?” He looks over to you and poorly tries to rub the tears out of his eyes, “Y...Yeah.” His little voice was so small and sad that it hurt your heart. You immediately walk over to him. You're about to ask him ‘what's wrong’ when you hear it. The tv channel Jack had been watching cartoons on was now playing an advertisement. One that was about Mother’s Day gifts of all things. Mother’s Day was right around the corner, and that couldn't be easy for Jack. It wasn't exactly a topic you and Aaron talked about, but you had gathered that Jack didn't remember a whole lot of what happened, which was probably for the best. But that didn't magically make it less painful for him. You crouched down, “You can talk to me, Jack.” Jack sniffles and keeps rubbing at his eyes in vain. You gently rub his back to try to help comfort him. Letting him take his time to feel his emotions. Jack looks at you with watery eyes, “T...Teacher said to m...make gifts for mom’s day. I...I don’t got anyone to make stuff for. M...Mommy’s g...gone.” Jack starts crying. You gently pull him into a hug, “I’m sorry. It must be tough for you.” You pause for a moment to think before continuing, “But you can still make things for your mom.” Jack sniffles, and he tilts his head up to look at you, “How?”  
This was a difficult topic. Even the grief training the Bureau gives its employees did not fully cover these situations. It never got easier. Seeing the look on Jack’s face as he looked to you for all the answers made you want to do anything to help him feel better. You loosen your hug on him so you can look at his face, “Well, mommy might be gone, but you can still talk to her and make things for her.” Jack scrunches up his face, trying to understand, “Daddy said mommy could hear if we talk to her. How could she see stuff?” You hum softly to yourself as you think, “Our loved ones who passed on are always watching over us.” Jack gives a tiny nod. You could tell you hadn't answered the question in the way that he wanted. He probably heard that all the time from so many people that it didn't have the same effect as it used to. You lean back, “But… I know a special trick to help your mom see you better for a little bit.” Jack perks up a bit, showing interest. You take this as an excellent queue to continue, “If you take things to the grave of your loved one, they can see it a lot better.” You watched Jack to gauge his reaction to your idea. Jack tilts his head, “Really?” You nod, grabbing a tissue and cleaning up Jack’s face, “Why don't you make Mother's Day gifts. Me and you will go visit her grave and have lunch there. You can bring anything you want to show her.” You finish cleaning Jack up and officially let go of him. Jack nods before running off to his room.  
Moments later, Jack comes out of his room. His arms are overflowing with crayons, markers, paper, and any other crafting supplies he could fit into his small arms. You chuckle, “Need help?” Jack takes all the stuff to the kitchen table, having to reach up high to get the items onto the table, “I got it.” His attempt to do this all by himself fails as things start falling out of his grasp. You walk over and start helping pick everything up. Once everything is picked up, you help Jack into the chair, “Anything else you need?” Jack thinks for a minute staring at all of the supplies laid out on the table. He picks up some paper and folds it in half to turn it into a card's shape, “Cut shapes for me, please.” You smile at him and nod, “You're the boss.” You let Jack do his own thing, only helping out when he needs something cut out, or he asks you. You wanted it to be unique and all his. You manage to sneak a few candid photos while Jack is too distracted to notice. You send them to Aaron, hoping the pictures will help raise his spirits a bit.  
When Jack is all finished, he reveals the final product to you. It’s messy and crooked, and Penelope would approve of the amount of color and glitter that went onto the paper. But it was imperfectly perfect. Jack looked at you, “Will mommy like it?” You smile at him and nod, “I think mommy would absolutely love it. It’s the best Mother’s Day card I’ve ever seen.” You weren't even just hyping him up, you were telling him the truth. The amount of love Jack put into this card made it the best you had seen. Jack starts grinning ear to ear, “Yeah?” He gets extra excited and jumps out of his seat. He does a lap around the living room, card in tow. Jack stops by the door, “I wanna show her.” You can't help but laugh at his excitement. You had been worried bringing up this option would have made him sad. You were beyond thrilled that the opposite had happened. You decide to leave the kitchen table a mess currently, just to keep up with Jack’s excitement, “We need to pack up lunch first buddy… and you should probably change out of your pajamas.” Jack looks down at his PJs, “Ohh… Okay.” He runs back into his room, the card in hand. You start pulling out food and prepping some lunch you both could eat outside. Jack walked back out, the card still in hand, but one of the corners had gotten bent a little. The one corner wasn't a big deal, of course. You were just worried if something else happened. You don't think you could handle seeing his sad little face if some accident happened with it. So, you thought up a solution, “Jack, would you mind if we made a quick stop before seeing mommy?” Jack was admiring his handy work as he replied, “Where?” You just pack up the food, only needing to find a bigger box or bag to haul it in, “Well, your card is so amazing that I want to get it laminated.” You turn around to look at Jack fully. He makes a confused face, “Labinbaited?” You chuckle when he tries to say the word himself, “Lam-in-nated.” You repeat the term in a none condescending tone to help him with it. Jack repeats the phrase, “Lam-n-ated?” It was close enough that you just smiled and nodded. Jack questions, "What's it mean?" Then you made a confused face, trying to figure out how to explain it to him. You hum, “It’s like… a raincoat… for paper.” Jack makes a face, seeming to understand. You clarify a bit more, “It will help protect all your hard work.” Jack gives a slow nod, “Keeps it safe?” You nod back, going to look for a bag to put lunch in, “It will make sure nothing bad ever happens to it.” Jack nods happily and runs around again, “Yes, please.” You chuckle as you go into the closet.  
Luckily there was not only a messenger bag of sorts, but there was also a spare car seat. Admittedly you assumed with how Aaron is there would be a backup car seat somewhere in the apartment, so you didn't think to ask before he left. You drag the seat out and put it by the door before taking the back into the kitchen and pilling it up. You walk to the door, stopping to run over a mental checklist of things. You stop and turn to look at Jack, who had been following you around the apartment as you finished everything up. You crouch down and look at him, “Anything else you want to bring?” Jack tilts his head to the side, “Like what?” You pull the bag over your shoulder, “Hmm, anything at school you've gotten… or maybe your favorite toy or book? Whatever you want.” You could see the wheels inside Jack’s head turning. He gently hands you his card, which you carefully take. Once his hands are free, Jack bolts back into his bedroom. You take this chance to look around Aaron’s apartment to figure out where Haley was buried. You could obviously ask Aaron, and you weren't trying to hide this trip from him. It just didn't seem like the kind of thing to interrupt his busy workday with. You found what you were looking for in a desk drawer, not hard at all to locate, considering you knew how Aaron ordinarily did things. Once you have the address and everything, you are good to go.  
You curiously peek into Jack’s room, seeing what he is up to. Jack was moving around fairly quickly, trying to pick up multiple things at once. You chuckle and step in, sitting on the floor, “We can put that stuff in my bag.” Jack turns to you and gives a determined nod. He hands you objects, and you find pockets to store them in. Jack ends up bringing you a stuffed animal, a grade card from school, a handful of rocks that Jack had found that he thought were cool, the current book Aaron was reading to him, and about a dozen other things Jack wanted to bring. You let him pack whatever he wanted, finding a way to fit everything into your bag. Once he was done, you stood up and reached out your hand, “Ready?” Jack took your hand, nodding before you both got ready to leave.  
Lugging a car seat to your car was a new experience, it wasn't so bad. The biggest issue was getting the car seat set up properly. It took easily ten minutes longer than it should have, but once you were a thousand percent sure it was in properly and safe, you helped Jack into it before buckling him up. Finally ready, you get into the driver's seat, setting your bag on the passenger side floorboard before doing one last check to make sure you had everything you needed. The drive to the paper place was quick enough. You hopped out of the car and unbuckled Jack, holding his hand on the way into the shop. Jack was holding his card protectively to his chest with his free hand. You got to the counter, “Hey, can I get a card laminated?” The employee nods, and you look down at Jack. He looked worried, his little hand tugging you down to him. You comply and crouch down, “What's wrong, honey?” You spoke softly. Jack whispered into your ear, trying not to be rude, “What if they break it?” You study Jack’s face to see how worried he was. You lovingly squeeze his hand, “They are a professional, and they will be very careful.” Jack doesn't look entirely convinced, so you add, “What if we got something else laminated first so you could see how it works?” Jack seriously thinks about it, nodding, “Okay.” You stand back up and talk to the employee, “Could I actually get something laminated before the card, as a tester of sorts? I’m totally fine with paying for the tester.” The employee nods and shows you over to their paper section. You grab a sheet and walk back over to the front counter. Jack was a bit shorter than the counter, so you picked him up and helped him on your hip so he could reach the blank piece of paper. You put your debit card on the counter, just to show the probably extremely underpaid employee that you didn't plan on being an asshole. Jack looks at it, and you hand him a pen, “Draw something on it for me, so you can see how it looks after the machine does its job.” Jack takes the pen and draws a very wiggly circle and then a bunch of other scribbles. He puts the pen down, showing he is finished. You smile, “Perfect buddy.” You keep Jack safely held on your hip as you turn back to the employee, “Mind if we watch while the machine does its thing?” The worker smiles and allows you behind the counter so Jack can see what happens. The employee starts the laminator up and runs the tester paper through it. Jack seems completely fascinated as the paper gets drawn into the machine before slowly coming out safely wrapped in plastic. The employee hands you the finished product. You grab it and show it to Jack, “See, you can still see your drawing, but now it's protected.” Jack takes it into his hands and inspects it. His face looks so critical, going over every inch of it. When Jack seems satisfied, he nods, “Okay.” Jack gingerly hands his card over to the employee, “Careful, please.”  
The employee does just that and carefully flattens the paper before putting it through the machine. Jack watches it closely, still seeming a bit worried. When it is finished the employee puts the crease back into the middle and folds it before handing it back to Jack. Jack again looks over it with a critical eye, making sure every detail is just how he had it before it went into the laminator. Jack makes an excited noise, “I love it.” You smile happily and carry him back to the proper side of the counter. You pay for your things, digging into your wallet. Giving the cashier some extra cash as a gift for being so helpful and letting you both go behind the counter to ease Jack's mind. On your way out of the store you notice a flower shop. You pause and glance at Jack, who looks more than content with the fact you hadn't stopped carrying him. You give him a soft squeeze, “Do you want to pick out some flowers for mommy? I think she would like a bit of color on her headstone, don't you?” Jack looks over the flowers from his perch on your hip. Jack nods, “Only the prettiest ones.” Jack smiles at you, and you gently let him down onto the ground. It was definitely a whole new skill set to carefully put him on the ground with one arm while your other hand was holding onto the freshly laminated paper. Jack slowly walked around the outdoor flower stall, looking at each variety. He points to the ones he wants. Turning to look at you for approval every now and then. You just smile and encourage whatever he picks out. When Jack is satisfied with his selection, you pay for the bouquet. Getting Jack back into the car and back on your way.  
The drive to the cemetery went by quickly. Jack seemed extremely excited to show off the things he had brought along. The funeral announcement gave you a vague idea of where to go. You parked your car as close to Haley’s grave as you could. You pulled the bag over your shoulder, helped Jack out of the car, grabbed an emergency blanket from the trunk of your vehicle, and then proceeded to grab anything else left behind in the car. You and Jack navigated through the rows of headstones until you spotted Haley’s. You stopped and laid the blanket out. Sitting down and opening the bag for Jack to get into as he needed. Jack, who was so excited about the visit, had now fallen silent. A large part of you worried that maybe this trip was too much for him or even just too sad of a concept for him in general. Jack looks at you, “What do I say?” You give him a comforting pat on the back, “Anything… Everything… Just talk to her how you would talk to daddy or anyone else." He gives a small unsure nod before turning back to the headstone.  
Jack started out shaky and couldn't seem to find the right things he wanted to say, “H...Hi mama…” So, you spoke up, just enough to nudge him in the right direction, “Why don't you tell her about the Mother’s Day gift you made her?” Jack presented the card to the headstone. He started talking about it, slowly at first. Once Jack started talking about how he made the card and why he made it that way, he was utterly lost in the conversation he was having with his mom. Jack explained every detail of the card before switching to the flowers he brought for her. Then it was time to break into the bag of items he brought along to show off. You let Jack go at whatever pace came naturally to him. You were willing to sit out here all night if it would help him feel better. You helped pull out objects as he needed them. Jack explained what he had been doing in school, where he found each and every cool rock he brought along, and even talked about his favorite parts of the book Aaron was currently reading. You didn't want to invade on such a personal moment Jack was having with his mother, but you knew Aaron would like to see such a special moment, so you sneakily recorded some of it. Not planning to send it to Aaron now, not wanting the mixture of emotions, the video would surely bring up, being put on him while he was working. You were going to save it for as soon as Aaron came back home.  
Jack had so much to say. You know Aaron had encouraged Jack to still talk to Haley about anything that was bothering him. Jack just seemed to need a more ‘creative’ way to go about it. When Jack finally started running out of things to say, he settled down, and you decided to pull out the food. Serving it to Jack. You slowly eat, speaking in between bite of food, “Do you feel better?” Jack, who had worked up an appetite with all the excitement and talking, had to finish eating a large bite of food before answering, “Did I do good?” You scrunch up your nose a bit, trying to read his little face, “Yes, of course, buddy. There is no right or wrong way to honor your mother's memory.” He looks at you, “Really?” You give him a very confident nod, “Yes. Some people visit graves…” You motion to your current location before continuing, “Some people have small shrines for their loved one in their house, other people just look at old photos and videos, and sometimes people feel better doing a mixture of things.” Jack thinks about it, “C...Can we come back sometimes?” You offer a soft smile and nod, “Of course, Jack. I bet daddy would love to visit here with you more often.” Jack shakes his head quickly, “Not with daddy. With you.” Taken aback, you can't help but ask, “Why just me?” Jack purses his lips together and moves his mouth side to side like he doesn't want to say something or isn't sure about saying it. You just watch Jack, trying to give him time to figure it out. After a moment, Jack answers, “Talking about mommy makes daddy sad.” You frown and rub the back of your neck. Lots of serious conversations seemed to be happening between you and Jack today. Which you didn't mind, it just puts you in the odd spot of answering some of these things. You sigh, “Well, emotions are complicated things… It makes daddy a little sad because he misses mommy, but it also makes him happy to see you remembering mommy.” You knew Aaron had this conversation with Jack already, but you also knew Jack was too smart for his own good, assuming that Aaron was just saying it didn't make him sad to make Jack feel better. Jack makes a bit of a face, “Sad and Happy?” You nod, trying to think of the best way to try to explain it, “You know when you have a plate of cookies, and you get down to the very final, last cookie?” Jack carefully nods, showing he understands. You continue, “When you go to eat that last cookie, you're sad that it's the last one, but you're also excited to eat it. It’s called mixed emotions. So, people don't always only feel happy or sad about something, sometimes it's both or any other mixture of emotions. And that's okay, that's just how feelings work.” You finished and sat there for a moment, hoping he understood. Jack was smart, so you didn't want to talk down to him like he didn't understand anything. But you also didn't want to pull a ‘Reid’ and assume Jack understood completely already and ramble about something that went completely over Jack’s head. Jack took a minute, really seeming to think it over. He looked so serious, showing just how much of his dad's genes he had gotten. The scowl was hereditary. After some time, long enough for both you and Jack to finish eating, Jack finally seems to come to a conclusion. Jack answers, “I think I understand.” You offer a smile. When Jack offers a big smile in return, you know that everything was still going well.  
This lunch outing had lasted long enough that the sun had started to set. You packed the empty food containers back into your bag. You looked at Jack, “Want to take a picture for Daddy before it gets too dark?” Jack smiles and moves, so he is sitting with his back to the headstone. You pull out your phone, and right as you're about to take the picture, Jack stops you, “Wait!” Jack grabs his card and holds it open, “I want daddy to see her gifts.” You lean forward-moving the flowers so they could be better seen in the photo. You sit back and get ready to take the picture again. You take a few pictures and then smile, “Perfect. Help me pick one.” Jack rushes over and looks over your shoulder. You let Jack pick the photo to keep and send it to Aaron later. Jack sits down, still smiling, but you could see him getting tired. You didn't want to rush him, so you just started packing anything that Jack wasn't using anymore. Jack glances back at you, “Are we leaving?” You rub Jack on the back, “Only if you want to.” Jack looked from you to his mother’s headstone, “We can come back later?” You smile and nod, “Of course. I am sure daddy and aunt Jess would bring you here whenever you needed.” You pause before adding, “I could bring you too if you wanted. I’m always here for you if you ever need anything.” Jack rocks a bit in his spot, “W...What if you stopped spending time with daddy?” Jack has an unsure look on his face, “Would you still then?” Without hesitation, you responded, “Yes.” He already knew you and Aaron were more than friends, but clearly he also had some level of understanding that dating isn't necessarily a permanent situation. Part of you wondered where he had learned that from or if he pieced it together himself. The other part of you was trying to find out what got Jack so worried about it. Maybe it was the fact Haley had died so suddenly, and while Jack wasn't necessarily looking for another parent, he was looking for another stable adult figure in his life. Your answer seemed to help Jack perk up a bit, but he still seemed a bit too lost in thought. You wanted to help reassure him, “Daddy taught you to use the phone for emergencies, right? You can read the numbers?” Jack nods slowly, his face showing that he wasn't sure why you were asking. You reached into your pocket and pulled out your wallet. Once you find what you're looking for, you hand it over to the little boy. It was one of your FBI cards that had your personal number printed on it. As Jack took it, you explained, “You hold onto that. When we get back to the apartment, we can put it on the fridge, so you always have it nearby. You can call me whenever you want, even if it isn't an emergency, okay?” Jack starts smiling again and gives you an enthusiastic nod. He jumps up and tackles you in a hug, “Thank you.” You wrap your arms around him, hugging him back.  
Jack slowly let go of you, “I’m ready to go now.” You finish packing everything back up except for the Mother's Day card and the bouquet, “Want to tell mommy goodbye?” Jack nods and turns back towards the grave. You could see his eyes starting to water and hear him sniffling. He leans forward and gives the headstone a small kiss, “I love you, mommy.” When Jack pulled away, you could see the tears running down his face, and it just hurts your heart so much to see him like this. You do the only thing you really can to try to help him feel better and rub his back. Jack fusses over where the flowers are placed and then does the same with the card he made. He only stopped when he deemed both presents were in the perfect position on his mom's grave. Jack gives a triumphant nod, even as he keeps crying. You hold out your arms, “Come here, honey.” Jack sniffles and walks right into your arms. You scoop him up and get up off the ground. You didn't care how hard it was, but you finished packing up with one hand so you could keep holding him. Once you made sure you had everything, you headed back to the car. You could feel your shirt getting wet from his tears. When you opened the car door, you commented to him, “We can come and get the card back after Mother’s Day. That way, you can keep it.” Jack nods into your shoulder, acknowledging that he heard you. You sat in the back seat, still holding him for a minute. Not putting him in his car seat until you were sure that the bulk of the sadness and tears had passed.  
Jack fell asleep on the drive back home to the apartment. You try your hardest to gently get him out of his car seat, so you don’t wake him up. Carrying him inside while carrying your bag and opening doors was a bit of a struggle, but you managed to do it without waking him up. Dropping your bag right by the front door before moving to Jack's room. You took his shoes off before laying him in his bed. He was still clinging to the business card you gave him, and you had to gently slip it out of his hands. Tucking the covers around the fast-asleep child. You walk into the kitchen and grab a free magnet. Pinning your card to the fridge in a low enough spot that Jack could reach it. With Jack napping, you took this as a chance to clean up the apartment. You start with dishes, getting the empty food containers out of your bag so you can add them to the dishwasher. You clean up the kitchen table from the arts and crafts project earlier. You go to check on Jack, making sure he is still fast asleep before closing his door, wanting to vacuum real quick. Even as you vacuumed, you were worried the loud noise would wake Jack up. You checked on him after, and he was still out like a light. With everything all cleaned up, just how tired you were set in. You didn't want to sleep, mostly not wanting to have any more nightmares. But if you didn't, you'd never hear the end of it from Aaron. Plus, even with how stubborn you are, you know you can't keep functioning on such little sleep. So, you decided to lay on the couch so Jack could find you easier if need be.  
There was so much tossing and turning. You were exhausted, but your body seemed to keep fighting sleep. You weren't sure how much time had passed, only managing to start zoning out more than actual napping. Jack’s voice pulled you out of this state, “[Y/N]?” His voice was so sleepy and small. You open your eyes and sit up, “Everything okay?” Jack nods lazily, rubbing his eyes, “Hungry…” A big yawn interrupts him. Once the yawn passed, Jack added, “Sleepy.” You smile and nod. Getting up off the couch, checking the time. It was getting pretty late. You pick Jack up and sit him at the dining room table. Opting for something quick and easy for dinner. You make each of you a sandwich. Taking it to the table so both of you could eat. Jack slowly eats, clearly still exhausted. You can’t help but find it a little cute. You finish eating but stay at the table with Jack. Once he finishes, you ask, “Want to go back to bed?” Jack shakes his head and yawns. You make a curious noise as you clean up quickly, “What do you want to do then, buddy?” Jack gets out of his chair and walks over to you. Grabbing the fabric of your pants and gently tugging, “Cuddles.” You look down at him and chuckle. His face pleading with you. You reach out your hand, “How could I say no?” Jack takes your hand, and you lead him to his bedroom, “Jammies first. Then we can lay on the couch, okay?” Jack nods and starts trying to change. You slip out of the room and into Aaron’s so you can change as well. When you're in your pajamas, you walk back into Jack’s room to see him sleepily struggling. You smile and help him out. Scooping him up as soon as he is ready. You go out to the living room, turning on the tv. Holding Jack carefully as you get onto the couch, laying on your back. Jack lays on your torso, cuddling with you. You lazily rub his back as you both start dozing on the sofa.  
Dozing at some point, turns into sleeping. Waking up a few hours later to infomercials running on the tv. You check on Jack, seeing that he had easily gone back to sleep. You ever so slowly work your way off the couch, turning the tv off. You were almost positive you had locked the door. To ease your paranoia, you double-check the lock. With the comforting knowledge that you did have the door secured, you head back into Aaron’s room. Navigating your way under the covers with Jack. Lying down on your side. You take a moment to make sure Jack is okay and still sleeping. Jack stirs a bit, but it's just for him to readjust. You close your eyes and let yourself fall back asleep. The next time you wake up, it's because of weight shifting on the bed. You open your eyes and let out a slight groan. The room is still very dark, so all you can see is a slightly darker shape getting into bed. You hear Aaron’s voice before you can see him, “It’s okay. Go back to sleep.” Your eyes very slowly start adjusting, “What time is it?” Aaron lays on his side, facing you, “Late.” You let out another groan, “How was work?” Aaron chuckles, “That's not important right now.” Aaron wraps his arm over you. Comfortably sandwiching Jack in between, you both. You let out a content sigh, smiling to yourself. Aaron places a kiss on Jack's forehead before Aaron moves up and kisses you softly. You make sure to kiss Aaron back before you close your eyes again and let yourself drift off to sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is a placeholder chapter to show I am still actively working on this series, please read the chapter for more details.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I already posted this on Tumblr but someone reached out to me saying that they read my stuff on ao3 first before messaging me on Tumblr, which made me think I should keep you guys who only use ao3 in the loop at well <3

I just wanted to let you know I’m still around even though I haven't posted in a while. But I promise you I am working on both Co-Conspirators and my Unconventional series’. It’s just taking a bit because of life and some crazy stuff that was going on. But if my motivation says strong, 🤞🤞, then I plan to have the next chapter of Co-Conspirators posted before the end of this month. And I’m really hoping the same can be said for Unconventional. 😅😅

I love y'all, and thanks for being patient and feel free to check out my profile in case you need to catch up on some of these series or want to read something else I’ve written. ❤❤


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